Legend of Zelda: Journey Across Hyrule
by starbornshine
Summary: Spirit Tracks with AU elements. The teenage train engineer's Link Knight's life is turned completely upside down when after a foreboding graduation the Princess of Hyrule asks him for his help. From there things escalate and if saving the world with a spirit princess for a companion isn't enough,the past is determined to remind them of who they truly are..Kinda Zelink
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to my Legend of Zelda fanfic, a slight AU version retelling of Spirit Tracks. Now, I do have a lot to say, but I'll get out of your way so you may read first. Apologies for any inaccuracies, I'm still relatively new to this fandom. So, yes, enjoy and meet me at the end for my notes. Oh and the cover art is no by me, credit goes to the amazing artist. :)**

 ** _Chapter 1 - The Unsettling Graduation._**

 _It was a very strange, but somehow blissful dream. Here he was driving a train across the vast plains of Hyrule by himself as a fully fledged engineer and when he looked up he saw a semi-transparent beautiful girl sitting on top of the carriage. Oddly enough he didn't seem at all surprised to see her and she smiled before easily leaping off the roof. For a moment his rational mind was about to make him warn her while his dream self merely smiled and laughed as she soared like a bird, flying alongside the train as though racing it. She laughed happily, a hauntingly familiar sound for some reason, and then flew over the train, circling around the column of smoke as he watched her all the while. Flying to the other side of the train, she looked to him and said something he couldn't hear, but his dream self nodded and moved back to make room for her. She beamed and floated into the engineers cabin. They both looked out over the side to see what looked like the Spirit Tower up ahead. Were they heading there? Link couldn't help wondering both about that and who that girl was. She looked very familiar, but who..._

Link was abruptly woken up from his sleep by someone prodding him with a walking stick. He looked up blearily to see that it was his elderly roommate, Niko, a man with receding grey hair and green eyes who still wore a red sailor's shirt as tribute to his former pirate days. He was clearly chastising him for something and if Link had to guess it was the picture presentation about the legend of the evil king Malladus that he had ended up sleeping through. His brain had only switched on properly when he heard Niko finish his rant and ask:

"Can't you pay attention for one minute and listen to an old man's final creation? Are you even listening to me now, Link?"

The young teen nodded, still half-asleep and bluntly answered the old man in his typical fashion:

"I am. Sort of."

Niko sighed, but shook his head in a sign of resignation, seeing that the teenager still had one foot in the world of dreams while the other was here in the land of the living. Shaking his head, Niko admitted:

"Ok, Ok. I can take a hint. Sorry for boring you."

Link instantly felt guilty for falling asleep on Niko. It wasn't like the old man ever bored him with his stories, it was just he was so tired from all the practices Alfonzo had been making him take to prepare for graduation that he just fell asleep whenever. Well, that and the fact that he really did like to just enjoy his sleep. A concept that some people (chiefly Alfonzo) didn't seem to get... There was a dull sound of a door opening and closing and Niko unexpectedly beamed:

"Look, here comes your mentor. Hello there, Alfonzo."

Blearily and worriedly, Link turned to look around himself and sure enough he was faced with the sight of his towering mentor in his engineer's uniform looking imperiously down at him. Oh, for the love of Nayru, what had he forgotten to do now? He'd done everything, hadn't he? His still sleepy mind wouldn't focus. The olive-skinned man with a red bandana on his head, raised an eyebrow, his hands on his hips:

"Why are you still here, Link?"

Was he supposed to be somewhere else? He'd practiced, he'd restocked the coals, he'd cleaned the train and he had for some reason changed into his trainee engineer's clothes so...Where was he supposed to be again? Was something happening today? Alfonzo sighed:

"Come on now, wipe the sleep out of your eyes."

Link tried doing as he suggested, but apparently that wasn't satisfactory as Alfonzo decided to resort to what he found as the easiest method to wake the sleepy 14 year old Link up. He grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up and shook him while yelling "wake up!" until he was sufficiently awake. Moments later Link was wide awake and looking at Alfonzo in confusion. Goddesses above, this boy was hopeless. Alfonzo decided to give the kid a clue:

"Today is a very important day, you know."

Link continued looking at him in a bemused fashion. Alfonzo shook the kid again before exclaiming in exasperation:

"It's your audience with the princess!"

Link's dark blue eyes snapped to him in alarm:

"What?!"

Alfonzo merely dropped the boy to the floor and as per usual the boy instinctively landed in a crouch before flopping down to sit on the floor. The head engineer facepalmed:

"Don't tell me you forgot! You won't amount to much if you don't pay attention!"

Link lowered his head, sheepishly. He had forgotten. He had forgotten one of the most important days of his life. Well, that was colossally idiotic of him. Ashamed, he mumbled quietly:

"Sorry, Alfonzo..."

"Sorry ain't going to amount to nothing. Don't you want your engineers certificate?"

Link hastily nodded, climbing to his feet. Alfonzo nodded in approval:

"Well, the graduation ceremony is at the castle. Princess Zelda herself is going to do the honours!"

Link's eyes widened a fraction: their princess was going to be presiding over the ceremony?! Okay, now he wasn't sure he could go. Driving a train was one thing, but what if he annoyed their future monarch? Especially while her father, the king, was away for an extended stay in one of the neighbouring countries to negotiate a treaty of some sort from what Niko had told him. His mentor, the person who was his father figure, was evidently not going to let Link back out of this now as he ploughed on:

"I'm heading to the station now, so meet me there. Remember the station is up the road, don't get lost! Got it?," - Link nodded," - Good! Then get a move on!"

Alfonzo turned towards the door and raised a hand in a sign of farewell to the man he'd known since he'd been a little boy himself:

"See you later, Niko."

With that he stepped outside and closed the door behind himself. Link sighed and ran a hand through his unruly bright blonde locks, trying to get a grip on things. Niko spoke up from one of the corners of the room:

"You deserved that, you know."

Link nodded:

"I know. I should probably get going."

Niko nodded, smiling a toothy smile:

"You should. Today is the day you graduate from apprentice to official train engineer. It's quite an honour, so you mustn't be late!"

"Yeah. Especially since our future queen is the one doing the honours. She could have me beheaded."

Link remarked picking up his red cap and putting it on. Niko waved a hand at him:

"Oh, nonsense. If this Zelda is anything like her great-grandmother, she won't behead you unless you do something colossally stupid."

Link who was half out the door paused and looked at the old man who was hastily hiding away his pots (that was most probably a post trauma habit after Link had broken every pot in the house when he'd been 9) curiously:

"You knew Queen Tetra?"

Niko nodded his head solemnly, refusing to divulge more. He made a shooing motion at Link:

"Off to the castle with you! Scoot!"

Link smiled and tipped his hat as he left:

"See you soon, Niko."

He left closing the door behind himself. Niko shook his head in the boy's general direction:

"He's too much like him, that one... They even look alike..."

===LOZ: JAH===

After spending a good ten minutes to help out around the village before he left and earning some money he definitely could use, Link headed towards the station. He passed by a a little boy who kept rolling into a tree, trying to knock a bee's nest down. That was a stupid idea. Link cupped a hand over his mouth, calling out:

"Hey, Mido!"

The kid looked up, unsure of what Link wanted of him:

"Yeah?"

"Bees sting."

"I'm not 2, I'm 7 - I know that. I want the honey! You do it if you're so smart!"

Oh, for the love of Nayru...Link huffed and picked up a decent sized rock. He turned it over in his hand a couple of times before throwing it straight at the nest and watching as it rolled down the hill, the bees chasing after it. Mido looked surprised. Link shrugged and after patting the kid on the head, went up the stairs to the station. Alfonzo was nowhere to be seen, but, as expected, as soon as he put one foot on the platform he heard his mentor's voice scold him:

"You're late!"

Link looked around, a bit unsettled by hearing a disembodied Alfonzo's voice echoing from around him:

"Alfonzo?"

Instead of a reply the doors to the garage opened and out came Alfonzo and the train, the former holding onto the side of the latter, making it look as though it was the simplest thing in the world. It was not, Link had tried. Effortlessly hopping off the train, Alfonzo moved to tower over his protege:

"Do you understand the significance of today? In order to become a train engineer in this kingdom you must have an audience with one of the royal family, in your case - the princess. If she grants you permission, you can finally operate a train by yourself. No more of me naggin' you to go slower or faster. You get that?"

Link nodded, his previous enthusiasm and excitement returning. It was an important day and it was fairly obvious that there was no way in the world that Alfonzo would let him off the hook about nearly oversleeping, but that didn't mean he wasn't excited about becoming a real full-fledged train engineer. Alfonzo clapped his hands together:

"Now hop aboard! We're going to the castle."

Link moved towards the wooden train when Alfonzo's voice stopped him:

"Oh, but one last thing. _You're_ going to drive the train to get us there! Call it your final exam!"

That caused Link to look around and give Alfonzo an uncertain look. The tall man merely waved his hand at that and laughed:

"Don't look so worried - it'll be a piece of cake. I'll give you instructions if you forget anything. Now, onwards!"

Alfonzo declared, still laughing as he climbed into the carriage. Link sighed at his mentor's enthusiasm, but couldn't hold back a small smile himself as he climbed into the engineer's cabin and started up the train. As the train started moving, Link glanced out to see Niko out of the house and waving at him. Forcing his face into a serious expression, but unable to keep the happy shine out of his eyes, Link gave the old man a traditional farewell salute before turning back to the controls. He smiled as he moved the lever to accelerate the train's speed. Well, it was time to set out upon this new adventure and see where it would take him...

===LOZ: JAH===

Princess Zelda was supposed to be finishing the paperwork on her desk, but she just couldn't focus. The last thing she wanted to do was to mess up any official matters during her father's absence so with a sigh she pushed the parchment away, laying aside her quill. She hadn't even noticed that she'd been chewing on her lip, before she felt the bitter taste of blood in her mouth. Zelda quickly released her lip, her young face showing a flicker of annoyance as she inwardly berated herself for engaging in her bad habit again. Teacher would surely chastise her for that... Well, he would properly reprimand her for her plan too, but it wasn't like she had that many options left. He had just laughed when she'd brought up the matter of Chancellor Cole to him. No, she needed outside help, someone who didn't know her or the Chancellor would be ideal. Quietly, Zelda opened the right drawer of her desk and smiled faintly as she looked at the letter sitting there. Yes, maybe she'd get her chance today. After all today was the graduation ceremony and Alfonzo and his apprentice would be coming. As if on cue Zelda heard the sound of a train horn and stood up from her chair to look outside the window, opening it so she could see better. Sure enough, a train was approaching in the general direction of Hyrule Castle. Zelda smiled: she could almost hear Alfonzo bellowing orders at his young apprentice. Leaning on the windowsill, Zelda cast her mind back to the past, trying to remember the young boy in question. If she wasn't mistaken she'd seen the young Hylian in passing a few years ago, but they'd both been really young at the time so he'd probably changed and there was the fact that they'd never even said a word to each other. She wondered what he looked like now before she shook her head at her own thoughts - she didn't even know what the boy's name was. She'd have to find out at the graduation ceremony. Returning to her desk, Zelda picked up the letter and turned it over in her gloved hands. She had to deliver this to him, no matter what. She needed help and, well, he was probably her best shot. A knock sounded on the door and it creaked open, making Zelda jump in surprise:

"Your Highness?"

The elderly face of Zelda's tutor appeared. The teenage princess hurried to hide the letter behind her back. Pushing her surprise down, Zelda tried to smile normally:

"Yes, Teacher?"

The ageing man entered the room and raised an eyebrow when he saw the paperwork and quill lying abandoned on her desk. He looked sternly at the young princess of New Hyrule:

"Your Highness, why haven't you finished your work yet? You do remember how to do this, yes? And why is the window open?"

Startled, Zelda blurted out the first thing that came to mind:

"Um, I had a bit of a headache so I decided to open the window. I'm fine now."

Zelda could feel the tips of her long, pointy ears turn red at the little white lie she had just told. She hoped her teacher, a tall elderly man with glasses and a prominent moustache who had been named after the Light Sage from the era of the Hero of Time - Rauru, hadn't noticed. Rauru frowned and reached out to touch her forehead:

"Your Highness, are you sure, you aren't sick? We could delay the graduation ceremony..."

"No! No, no, no. Absolutely not. After all, teacher," - Zelda smiled, hoping to assuage his concerns,- "you do say we have to do things on time. Punctuality is important. I really don't want to push the ceremony off to a later date. And I assure you, I'm fine."

The old man looked at her for a bit before sighing and nodding. There were times he couldn't understand the young girl, but he cared for her deeply and would do anything to make her happy. If she insisted she was fine, he would accept it, but that didn't mean he wouldn't keep an eye on her. Princess Zelda was known for being incredibly stubborn. Zelda smiled brightly and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, slipping the letter into the secret pocket of her dress that the seamstress had made. Apparently those small pockets had been made upon her great-grandmother's, Queen Tetra's, request who had made her opinion of the impracticality of the dresses fairly well known. It was useful to say the least. There was another blow of the train's horn and Zelda and Rauru looked out of the window to see that the train had arrived at the station. Rauru adjusted his glasses and nodded at Zelda:

"I do believe they're here, Higness. You should start getting ready."

Zelda gave a faint smile, her hand brushing against the letter in her pocket:

"Of course, Teacher."

===LOZ: JAH===

Alfonzo's booming laugh rang out loudly as soon as he stepped out the train car. His boy had done it and the swordsman turned train engineer couldn't be more proud of him. In truth, he had had very few doubts that Link wouldn't mess up, but the boy had guided them to Castle Town as though he was a professional and hadn't panicked at all even when a pair of those obnoxious moinks had run onto the track. As soon as the boy jumped onto the platform, Alfonzo slapped him on the back joyfully, making the boy stumble a bit as he congratulated him:

"Good job! You passed the exam with flying colours and you even got us to Castle Town on time! And you know what else?"

Link tipped his head and quirked a brow, wordlessly telling Alfonzo to tell him. The olive-skinned man laughed again and winked:

"You look good while handling a train! That's the surest sign you're going to make a great engineer."

Alfonzo nodded confidently, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. The tip's of Link's Hylian ears heated up and he looked down at the ground, a bit surprised at receiving such high praise from his usually hard to please mentor:

"Uh, thanks, Alfonzo."

The older engineer waved his thanks off and nodded his head in the direction of the castle:

"Nah, no need to thank me. Now, just head to the castle for your graduation ceremony. It's to the north. You can't miss it - it is rather large, you know. Good luck!"

"I'll see you later then?"

Alfonzo nodded, sauntering off towards some building, leaving Link alone on the platform. The teenager sighed inwardly, but smiled once more as he made his way into Castle town. Link had been to Castle town before, but he'd never lingered long and his instincts to go exploring were begging to be obeyed. Link struggled with himself, before finally giving up and deciding to indulge his curiosity a little, after all if the clock in town was correct he still had a good ten minutes to spare. Nodding to himself, the teenager ducked into the nearest building which turned out to be a shop.

Hyrule Castle Town was by far the most populated place Link had ever visited as it was positively brimming with people. Some were selling their various wares while other's were buying, children loitered around the fountain in the town square splashing each other while laughing as their mother's talked to each other. Taking off his gloves, Link had even joined in on their fun for a bit. He couldn't resist stopping to talk to a lot of the people and even a young postboy had approached him, handing him a letter from the postman who asked him to be kind to the new kid. The new kid , a short human boy probably not much older than Link who was dressed in a postman getup that seemed a little too large for him, introduced himself as Nim per Link's request and explained how the old postal system worked before declaring cheerfully that he had more mail to deliver and chugging off as though he was a train. Link watched him go with a mix of curiosity and confusion before he caught sight of the clock face out of the corner of his eye and bit back a curse. His ten minutes had turned into 25 and he was inching dangerously close to being late. He had to hurry, because despite Niko's guesses for all Link knew the Princess could really have him beheaded for being late and if not her one of the High Council members definitely could.

Link rushed up to the castle entrance to see it blocked by two guards wearing green. One of them was tall and seemed as though he was napping on the job while the shorter one looked all too interested in the clouds floating above them. Link quirked a brow: were these guys even doing their jobs properly? If he had to guess the answer was no, but then again maybe this was normal in Castle Town. Also why did those clothes seem so familiar? He wasn't sure where he had seen them before, but they seemed achingly familiar. In any case, he didn't have time to dawdle! Link approached the two guards quickly, seeing one of them prod the other to wake him up. Link greeted them politely:

"Um, hello. Could you please let me through?"

The guards looked him up and down before the tall lanky one spoke as though he hadn't heard him:

"What is it, kid? We're kind of busy protecting Hyrule Castle right now. If you've got no business here, I'd suggest you scram!"

Link seriously doubted their claims about protecting the castle, but he remained cordial for the sake of getting past them faster:

"Well, you see, today's the day of my graduation ceremony. I'm a train engineer and I'd really like to get into the castle so I could attend the ceremony so if you would be so kind to let me pass, I'd be very grateful."

The short guard slapped himself on the forehead with his free hand, exclaiming:

"Ah, I'd completely forgotten that today was the graduation ceremony."

The tall guard raised his eyebrows in surprise:

"Huh, I didn't know they gave engineer certificates to little kids like you.."

His partner laughed as they stepped aside:

"Time's are a-changing, Bato. Well, go on in, kid."

Link nodded gratefully and slipped into the castle. The corridors of the castle were long and winding , the walls were adorned with various paintings and in some corners empty blue jars stood. Link had to resist the inherent urge to smash them and pressed on forward. After bumping into a young recruit who gave him directions, Link ran into another guard armed with a spear that stood in front of a staircase he needed to ascend. He told him he'd come to see the princess. The guard raised his spear, looking at the teenager seriously:

"The throne room is up these stairs. Only invited guest are allowed in."

He surveyed Link critically with an annoyed gaze, but the boy looked back at him calmly. The guard snorted in annoyance:

"Humph. What that means for you is...SCRAM!"

Before Link could retort or show the guard the invitation there was the sound of footsteps and a voice spoke from behind Link:

"What's all this commotion?"

Link and the guard looked around to see an extremely short human man approaching them. He was dressed in a pale green suit and somehow had two top hats balancing on top his red hair. His moustache twitched as he sniffed, his beady almost black eyes stopping on Link for a moment, glinting, before moving to guard. Link hissed in pain as suddenly the back of his left hand began burning furiously for no apparent reason. The guard payed him no mind and turned to the short man:

"Oh, good day, Chancellor Cole! Apologies for the disturbance", - the guard nodded his head towards Link who was desperately trying to conceal the pain he was in,-"This boy says he's come to see the princess."

Cole turned to look at Link and a shiver ran up the young boy's spine as the pain in his left hand slowly subsided. The Chancellor leaned his head to the side a bit, in almost a curious fashion:

"Is that so? You're here for the graduation ceremony?"

"Yes, sir."

Link responded quietly. Speaking to the Chancellor made Link feel uneasy for some reason, but he needed his help. Besides maybe he was just naturally uncomfortable around politicians? Chancellor Cole raised an eyebrow:

"But you're so young",- he gave a tired sigh,- "What a waste of resources. The spirit tracks are vanishing and yet the Princess insists on performing these ridiculous ceremonies."

The Chancellor tutted and shook his head in annoyance. Link frowned: wait, what did this man mean the tracks were vanishing? Granted, he hadn't been everywhere in the world, but the tracks he and Alfonzo used were perfectly fine. They were the Spirit tracks, they couldn't just vanish for no reason at all! Sighing, the Chancellor looked at Link again and nodded his head to the side:

"Well, come along, boy. We must get you to your ceremony. Follow me."

He turned to the soldier who'd been watching them silently with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Cole clicked his tongue in annoyance before ordering:

"Don't just stand there drooling, private! Move aside!"

The soldier hurried to do as he was told:

"Yes, sir."

Cole turned to Link as he started up the stairs:

"Come along now, don't waste time."

Link hurried after him, all the while soundly ignoring the little nagging voice in his head which was warning him to be careful as the burning sensation in his left hand faded, but did not fully disappear.

===LOZ: JAH===

Link kneeled before the throne in the throne room, his head bowed per customs. He was alone in the room with two guards and the Chancellor. The princess hadn't arrived. Absently he wondered what she looked like, he hadn't seen her ever before. People often said she was very beautiful, but not much more. What was he even thinking? As Link silently berated himself for his own thoughts and reminded himself to focus on the ceremony, the stained glass window of Queen Tetra, the first queen of New Hyrule, looked down at him in an almost amused fashion, sending different coloured streams of light into the room. Suddenly, there was the sound of doors opening and Link counted the sound of not one, but two people walking into the room. One stopped rather quickly, the footsteps tired and shuffling while the lighter footsteps continued and only stopped right before him. Unexpectedly, Link felt a pull from within him and he raised his head to look at the newcomer, all thoughts of protocol leaving his mind. Before him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen with long hair that looked as though it had been made of the rays of the sun itself, startling blue eyes and pointy Hylian ears like his around which a delicate circlet was fastened. She was smiling brightly at him with a smile that made his heart ache and miss a beat at the same time. Somehow it felt like he knew her. It only occurred to him a moment later that he was staring at the the princess of Hyrule and a light blush dusted his cheeks. Contrary to all of his expectations, the Princess only giggled at that. She seemed nice, holding his gaze with an amused look in her blue eyes. The moment was broken by Chancellor Cole's angry outburst:

"Raising your head without permission?! You Ill-mannered urchin!"

He seemed as though he was a teapot about to explode. Link's ears heated up in embarrassment and he was about to drop his head again when the princess turned to the Chancellor and raised a hand to silence him. She turned back to him with a kind smile:

"Don't pay any attention to Chancellor Cole. You must be the new engineer. What's your name?"

The Princess eyes sparkled with genuine curiosity and something else in them. He couldn't discern what that something else was, but for some reason it didn't alarm him. It seemed like something akin to hope, perhaps. Quietly, but in a firm voice, Link answered her question, with a shadow of his own smile upon his lips:

"It's Link, Your Higness. Link Knight."

The Princess positively beamed, her smile becoming all the more breathtaking:

"Oh, that's a wonderful name. Though why does it feel like I've heard it somewhere before..."

The last part she murmured almost to herself, trailing off. She barely perceptibly shook her head in an attempt to focus. Her mind returning to the ceremony at hand she announced:

"Well, Link, by the power vested in me, I hereby proclaim you-"

"We're wasting time here, Your Highness! Please just hurry up and finish this foolish ceremony!"

Cole seemed like he was on the verge of blowing up by the way he was jumping about in frustration next to an elderly gentleman with an interesting moustache in a cream waistcoat. The Princess bit down on her lip and her gloved hands curled into fists that trembled, to Link it was blatantly obvious that she was working hard to stop herself from saying something. Why? Was she not allowed to speak her mind in her own court? It took her a few seconds, but eventually Princess Zelda sighed and her head dropped a bit as she acquiesced:

"Very well, Chancellor."

She made a tiny motion with her right hand and the elderly gentleman came up to her holding something on a tray. She gave him a small smile as she picked up the document that lay on it:

"Thank you, Teacher."

The old man gave her an encouraging smile in return before returning back to his place in the throne room. The Princess turned to Link and held out the certificate, announcing:

"I hereby recognise our newest royal engineer: Link Knight."

She motioned for him to stand up and as soon as he was on his feet again she handed him the certificate, her gloved fingers barely brushing against his own gloved hands. Smiling faintly, she told him:

"Work hard, for we all rely on you."

"I swear to, Your Highness."

She nodded in approval and as he made to step back she unexpectedly caught him by the wrist and made him stop. He glanced at her in confusion, but she merely took a step forward, releasing his arm. Seemingly out of nowhere she produced a sealed letter and held it out to him, whispering hurriedly as he opened his mouth to say something:

"Shh! Take this."

She pressed the letter into his hands out of everyone's view. He opened his mouth to ask her what was going on, but she frantically cut him off in a rushed whisper, looking almost desperate:

"No! Don't say a word now. Read this later...,-she paused for a millisecond, seemingly struggling with herself before she added,- and beware of the Chancellor!"

Smiling faintly once more she stepped away and returned to her tutor who motioned for a guard to open the right door. Together with the older man she left the room, leaving Link standing bewildered before the throne. What had just happened? He was broken out of his reverie by the Chancellor's voice, snide and annoyed:

"The ceremony is over, so I suggest you move along. Why don't you go...",- he looked around for a moment trying to come up with something to say before he turned and smiled almost benevolently at the boy,-"polish your train or something."

He made to step out of the room, but not before chuckling to himself and adding loud enough for Link to hear, an unsettling grin on his face:

"Not that it matters much. The thing will be useless before long..."

And with that he left the room, chuckling, almost giggling to himself as he walked away. Link stood alone in the throne room with only the two guards for company. His hands clenched around the letter and the certificate: Yes, he definitely didn't like and didn't trust the Chancellor. That man gave him the creeps and that was saying something given Link's bad habit of going into creepy places. What exactly was going on here? Link moved to exit the room and as he passed through the corridors of the castle his mind flashed back to the princess's letter. She had really sounded desperate and he was never one to turn away from someone who needed his help, no matter how much time it took he would help them in any way he could. Besides, something inside him was nagging at him, telling him that he had to assist her or he would regret it. He found himself _wanting_ to help her. With that, Link resolved to read her letter as soon as he left the castle walls, wanting to be clear of any prying eyes. Though why did his gut tell him that he wouldn't be seeing Niko anytime soon as he had promised?

 **Ok, so that's it for the first chapter. This is my first time writing for LoZ so I would be extremely grateful for whatever feedback I could get. Now, for my notes:**

 **1) I have always loved Spirit Tracks, but it wasn't until very recently that this fanfic was born in my mind. I looked up as much as I could about ST, but sadly information is a bit limited so half of this is fact while the rest is me closing up the gaps however I can. If anyone failed to understand, Link's dream in the beginning is actually the opening to the game, props to everyone who got that.**

 **2)I made Link and Zelda 14 because that a) made sense logically (how old do you have to be in New Hyrule to get a permit to drive a train?!) b) worked for them in my head. I honestly hope no one minds, but if there are any concrete ages for them please let me know and I'll try to work the fanfic around to fit that.**

 **3)The dialogue style: I've always written the dialogue like this in my fanfics (and I'm aware that my English teacher would probably want to murder me for this), but if this causes problems for anyone I can try to change it.**

 **4)The past coming back...Hehe. Well, this doesn't start until Chapter 2 so I'll keep my mouth shut until then. It'll be good, I promise. Well, I at least hope you'll like it.**

 **5)I want to get past this scripted dialogue quickly so I can get onto what I consider the fun part of the story, however, I won't rush. Also I'm probably the least consistent updated on the planet so the update times will be random, depending on how the chapter writing goes.**

 **6)Is Tetra this Zelda's great-grandmother? I'm confused about that.**

 **7)Oh, the AU elements, right. Well, those start up later, but you can already see hints of them in this one. Let's just say I want the three Golden Godesses, Hylia, Old Hyrule lore and people and, of course, the Triforce to play a much bigger role, but, really this is much more apparent later.**

 **8)Last thing, I swear: the translation. People who've played ST know that the EU and the US translation are different, just a few names, nothing too major. Which one will I be using? Some things like Outset Village and Staven (Byrne - in the US) will be from the EU, but others like Skuldritch and Cragma will be from the US. I really hope no one is disappointed because of this.**

 **Okay, that's it for this super long author's note. Apologies. Well, R &R at your on time. Goodbye for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, everyone! I'm back with chapter 2 of my fanfiction. I'm really happy with how positive a response this has gotten so that was enough to make me work faster on this chapter to get it out to you sooner. Thank you so much for that. I don't know if it's as good as the first one, but hopefully it can get a passing grade from you guys. This is where the AU elements come into play, because like I said this is ST but with a lot of AU elements so don't chuck wild cuccoos at me for this. Meet me in the AN at the bottom for more information later, but for now, Enjoy!**

 ** _Chapter 2 - A Dark Trip_**

Link returned to the bustling city that lay before the castle and was once again almost overwhelmed by the energy of life in Castle Town. This place was the polar opposite of the seaside community, Outset village, where he'd grown up. Outset Village was a small, very laid-back kind of place where everybody went about a routine life at their own pace, nothing much ever happened - even the arrival of the postman was an event in itself. To Link this was a startling change of pace, but he had to admit he liked this better somehow. He'd always felt a little too cooped up in Outset, though he did love his home dearly. While he had been thinking that, Link's feet had led him back to the fountain in the town square.

After apologising to the little kids who'd run over inviting him to play again, Link sat down at drier side of the fountain and pulled out the neat envelope, looking at it with both wonder and disbelief. Why did he even have this? He'd stored it away earlier along with his certificate and other items in what people called his "endless pouch". He turned it over in his hands before carefully prying up the flap and breaking the wax seal. Tentatively, he pulled out the neatly folded up piece of parchment and unfurled it. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips when he saw the hastily written, but still somehow neat and cursive words that adorned the once blank page in dark green ink. It looked like the Princess had been in a hurry when she had written it, but most probably the lessons she'd been taught since a young age had prevented her from writing sloppily like most common folk would have done. Besides, the hasty writing made sense if her secrecy during the ceremony was anything to go by. It seemed like she didn't want anyone to even have an inkling of the fact that she was contacting anyone outside the castle walls. Why him though? What could the princess of the entire kingdom of New Hyrule want with him, a newly-minted train engineer? He could only hope that this letter (though it would be more accurate to refer to it as a note) would shed some light on that. The letter read:

 _To our newest royal engineer (hopefully, I'll know your name by now),_

 _I have a favour I must ask of you in person. Follow this secret path on the second floor roof of the castle and you'll find your way to my study (I've drawn a rough map for guidance at the back). Please come as soon as you can and don't let anyone see you._

 _Princess Zelda._

Link turned the parchment around per the Princess's instructions and, true to her word, the princess had drawn a rather detailed (this was what she called rough?!) map on the back with instructions how to get to her rooms undetected. She seemed to be a really thorough person. Link studied the map before looking back up at the castle. He found the second floor balcony after a moment of searching. Well, this much he could do, although getting past the guards would require a bit of quick thinking, something that he was thankfully quite adept at. The teen stood up, replacing the letter back in the envelope and tucking it back away into his pouch. He headed towards the castle again, hoping against hope that Alfonzo wouldn't kill him for this. Farore protect him from that man's wrath.

===LOZ: JAH===

Zelda was both nervous and excited. She knew what she had asked and was about to ask of the young engineer was by no means easy, but she was in desperate need of his assistance. She didn't know when or if she would get another chance again, besides there was something about him...Something so familiar that it made her breath hitch when she'd first seen him kneeling in the throne room. Why? Why did she have the feeling like she knew him and knew him well? They'd never said a word to each other before today! It was all very frustrating to the young princess. She took a deep breath before launching into the gentle melody she was playing on the pan flutes again, trying to hide her anxiety. Regardless of his familiarity to her, what she was planning was dangerous, especially with Chancellor Cole's interference, but she had faith. Faith that he would come to her aid, faith that she could trust him with this, faith that he would believe her, faith that everything would turn out at least marginally okay. If her Hyrule and it's people were safe then she could put up with her Council, Chancellor Cole and the paperwork a bit longer. Her father was due back in a short while, too. She was Princess Zelda Nohansen Hyrule, the great-granddaughter of the former pirate captain and late Queen Tetra, she could deal with this. With those thoughts in mind, Zelda switched to a softer tune, one she had been familiar with since she'd been an infant. It had used to be her lullaby.

As Zelda lost herself in the melody, she nearly but not completely failed to hear the soft tap of boots against the carpet. Someone was here. Judging by the location the sound had come from, she had hope that it was Link, but she had to be ready in case. Finishing the final few notes, Zelda lowered the pan flutes and turned around. She felt a bright smile break out across her face when she saw that it was indeed him who stood there, with a soft smile on his face. It occurred to the princess only a moment later that he'd caught her practicing. Well, that was a bit embarrassing though she did have some measure of confidence in her playing. Those thoughts, however, did nothing to temper the happy smile on her face:

"I'm so glad you made it, Link",- she looked around uncertainly,-"did any of the guards see you on the way here?"

He shook his head:

"No, I believe they didn't, Your Highness. Although you might want to have someone examine security around here - in my opinion they seem to be lacking, that is if I can be so bold. No offence intended."

Zelda couldn't help a small laugh from bubbling past her lips:

"None taken. Did the passage I pointed out prove useful?"

"Very. Thank you, Princess."

She smiled, her fingers curling around the pan flutes reflexively:

"It seemed to be the least I could do to help you on your way. Now, I'm hoping you can help me, Link."

She carefully set down the pan flutes back onto their pedestal before walking over to the open window and closing it quietly. Only after doing that and making sure the door was locked, did Zelda move to stand in front of the young engineer. She looked at him seriously, interlacing her fingers before her:

"I have a favour to ask of you."

Zelda took a deep breath before continuing to speak, seeing that he was watching her attentively but with a mix of confusion and uncertainty in his cobalt blue eyes:

"As you know, the Tower of Spirits has protected our kingdom for ages. Probably even before it's foundation. The tower connects all the spirit tracks that criss-cross the land",-Zelda frowned,"-However, for some reason, they seem to be vanishing from everywhere. Something must have happened at the tower to cause all this. I must go there to ..."

Link picked up where she trailed off, the look in his eyes serious:

"So you want me to take you there."

Zelda nodded, both uncertain and hopeful at the same time:

"Yes. Would you please take me to the Tower of Spirits?"

Just as Link opened his mouth to say something Zelda hurried to explain her reasoning, determined to convince him of the necessity of this:

"I've heard tales of a wise one who guards our land and lives in the tower. Perhaps she might be able to shed some light on what's happening. The spirit tracks can't just start disappearing for no reason..."

Zelda trailed off, troubled. To her surprise, Link spoke up in agreement with her:

"That's exactly what I thought, too, Your Highness. But what about Chancellor Cole?"

Zelda frowned, annoyance flickering across her face and her hands folding in front of her chest, all lessons of princess-like behaviour going out of the window. She explained:

"Chancellor Cole forbids me from leaving the castle due to "safety concerns". I think he just doesn't want me going to the tower though. But why?",-Zelda's eyebrows drew together as she grew thoughtful and uneasy-", It's clear he's hiding something."

The atmosphere in the room was getting oppressive and while Link understood that Zelda's concerns were perfectly warranted, having seem the Chancellor himself, he couldn't stop himself from trying to add a bit of levity into the air:

"Of course. Like how his two hats stay on his head? Seriously, your Highness, how does he keep not one, but two, hats on his head?! It must be against the laws of nature somewhere."

Link could see the spark of amusement in the Princess's eyes, but for the sake of the previous conversation she tried to remain serious:

"That too. I have this feeling that something terrible is about to happen and those reoccurring dreams about a darkness on the rise don't help matters...That's why I must absolutely get to the tower! So-"

Link cut the Princess off right there and nodded:

"Alright, your Highness. I need no further convincing."

Zelda looked at the boy hopefully:

"So you'll take me there on your train?"

Link confirmed her hope with another dip of his head:

"I'll take you there on the train. "

Zelda beamed:

"Thank you so much, Link."

The Princess moved behind her desk and out of the lower drawers drew a small pile of green clothes, holding them out to Link all the while smiling confidently:

"Alright, please put this on right away. It's a recruit uniform. The guards are starting their patrols, so getting past them won't be easy, but if you wear this, they'll think you're one of them! This way we won't have much trouble getting past them!"

Link took the clothes he was handed and nodded. They seemed hauntingly familiar too, maybe because they matched the guard's uniform. Why was everything, the Princess included, reminding him of something he couldn't place today? It had rarely ever happened before. Link cleared his throat and turned to look at the Princess who was watching him expectantly:

"Um, your Highness, I do need to change so..."

Zelda's cheeks flushed with colour and her long ears grew bright red, she instantly turned right around to Link's mild amusement. Embarrassed, she stammered:

"Oh, I-I'm sorry! I'll look this way. But please do hurry."

Link did as she said quickly changing into the recruit's uniform. It consisted of a white-green shirt, a green tunic, a belt with the symbol of Farore on it, brown leather boots, white pants-things and a cap. He glanced in the mirror that stood behind him as he finished folding up his previous clothes while the Princess remained resolutely interested in the mantelpiece above her furnace. Link felt his breath catch. His mind was assaulted with images he couldn't place.

 _He stood before the headmaster Gaepora, promising to find his daughter on the strange surface world, dressed in the newest knight uniform, absently glad that it wasn't yellow like Pipin's, but mostly glad that it was made of durable material. He was determined to find his best friend._

The images shifted...

 _He looked similar like his child self had, but now these clothes that he wore were slightly different. The light sage, Rauru, was telling him that he had slept for seven years. He was surprised, but that did nothing to hamper his determination to find her..._

Once more the pictures changed as though he was looking into a kaleidoscope instead of a mirror...

 _His grandmother was handing him the uncomfortably warm clothes on his birthday, telling him he'd finally reached the age of the Hero of the legends. He definitely didn't want to put them on what with the hot weather, but seeing as she had stayed up night in a row to finish making them for him, he felt liked he definitely owed her that much._

And then Link was back in the present, trying to keep his balance by grabbing onto the nearest object. Hearing him stumble, Zelda instinctively whirled around and was once again struck with the strangest feeling. It was like images of the past, of a past she'd never gone through were being poured into her head, images of him, of Link.

 _Impa stood beside her, holding her back, reminding her of her duty. She wanted desperately to go to him, they'd just met up again after all. This was unfair! She hadn't expected to see him in the Knight uniform, but it definitely suited him. Hylia's memories told her he looked remarkably like her first chosen..._

Different images took the place of the first ones...

 _He stood before her again, seven years later. He was no longer the little boy she'd met in the palace courtyard, but he was almost a man now. She'd stolen those seven years from him... He smiled at her like usual however, seemingly happy to see her again. She's missed him, her one true friend...The clothes on him looked a little different, but yet remarkably familiar all the same..._

The scenery shifted once more...

 _Falling down from a tree branch after being saved from a bunch of monster's by a boy was not her preferred method of making an entrance. Gah, who was the kid anyway? What was with that getup?! It looked uncomfortably warm and naggingly familiar at the same time. She was not in the mood for mind games and why was he looking at her like that?!_

Zelda snapped back to reality to find herself holding onto Link's arms as he'd rushed to steady her when she'd stumbled, her legs failing her. What exactly was going on? Why had she seen different versions of Link in each of them and she'd felt different in every one too? He was looking down at her in concern as she tried to regain her bearings:

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Zelda hurried to stand up straight and nod, forcing a smile:

"I'm perfectly fine. Thank you. Those clothes suit you."

Link took a step back, away from her and looked a little embarrassed at the compliment, the tips of his pointy ears turning pink:

"Thank you, Princess. We should probably get moving then?"

Zelda's mind returned right back to the task at hand, pushing the strange event to the back of her mind:

"Right, before the guards find us!"

As they both snuck out of her room, Zelda couldn't help but wonder what in the name of the Three Golden Goddesses that had been. Little did she know, Link's thoughts were following along the same route. However, they had more important things to focus on...

===LOZ: JAH===

As soon as Link and Zelda had snuck past the palace gates they burst out laughing in a secluded corner of Castle town. The young boy was nearly doubled over laughing while the princess was trying not to smudge the makeup she was forced to wear with her tears of laughter. It was definitely not princess like of her, but at the current moment Zelda did not particularly care. Zelda was the first to recover at least some semblance of control over herself:

"Oh, Din, that was too funny. "

Link's laughter slowly turned to a chuckle and he nodded in agreement:

"His face...Oh, it was priceless!"

Zelda's laughter continued, bubbling up as she recalled the face of the last unfortunate guard Link had ended up distracting:

"When you...haha..when you threw those rocks...oh my...Din, that was funny."

"Yeah, but your role as the ghost princess was just as fun to watch."

Zelda's laughter turned to a giggle:

"Why, thank you. That was not bad, for a train engineer."

Link smiled brightly at her, that grin hauntingly familiar:

"You weren't so bad either, for a princess."

Zelda laughed at his comment and Link paled when he realised who he'd said that remark to. He tried to apologise, but Zelda waved it off:

"Don't worry about it. Now,"- she slowly turned serious again,-"all guard tricks aside, we need to get on your train and head for the tower of spirits. "

"Of course, Princess."

Link responded his previous calm and seriousness returning. He glanced around:

"We should probably keep you out of of sight, your highness. You are a little too recognisable. The guards aren't the only ones who could cause a fuss. Wow, now I feel like I'm stealing you from the castle, kidnapping you even."

The Princess gave him a faint smile:

"If it's kidnapping then I'm a voluntary victim."

He grinned:

"Fair enough."

Getting to the train station through the less used allies wasn't easy, but the two teenagers seemed to manage it in record time. Zelda couldn't remember the last time she'd had that much fun, though she'd been on the look out for any rats. Those were her greatest fear. Soon enough, they were standing on the steps leading to the station when Link tensed. Zelda, who was behind him, peered over his shoulder as she heard him mutter "oh no...". She beamed when she spotted the once swordsman and Castle guard captain, Alfonzo. Sighing, Link continued walking forward with Zelda following along behind him.

Seeing his protege, Alfonzo raised his eyebrows and demanded, not noticing the blonde girl behind the boy:

"What took you so long, Link? Did you keep me waiting just so you could change clothes?"

Link opened his mouth to answer while his dark blue eyes flicked to the Princess behind him. The girl looked out from behind him and gave Alfonzo her cheeriest smile before stepping out to stand beside the other teen. Alfonozo's brown eyes widened slightly in surprise:

"Oh! Your Highness! What are you doing here?"

Zelda raised a single gloved hand in greeting, her eyes sparkling with happiness and excitement as she looked upon an old time friend of her father's:

"Hello, Alfonzo! Have you been well? I'm sorry we haven't spoken since you left the castle guard. I must admit, I miss hearing you bellowing orders in the courtyard."

Link discreetly raised an eyebrow at her words: so the Princess and Alfonzo knew each other? That he hadn't known. Well, at least there was no need for awkward introductions. His mentor looked a little abashed as he reached up to scratch the back of his head - a long standing embarrassed habit:

"You're too kind to me. I'm sure hearing me yell all day was far from pleasant",-he suddenly realised what Zelda was trying to do and snapped back onto the subject like a cuccoo would it's prey, - "But you shouldn't distract me with talk about the old days! I'll just come out and ask: What are you doing here without a proper escort?"

His eyes snapped to his student and he leaned forward, eyes flashing dangerously:

"Are you responsible for this somehow, Link?!"

Before Link could say a word in his defence, the Princess stepped between them and in a calm and firm voice she corrected Alfonzo, not noticing the surprised expression on Link's face:

"I asked for his assistance. And I hope I can count on your help too, Alfonzo."

Zelda paused for a second to read the conflicted look on Alfonzo's face before ploughing on, effectively herding the head engineer into a corner. She looked up at him hopefully, insisting:

"I'd feel much safer with you at my side. Please come with us to the Tower of Spirits!"

Alfonzo looked at the princess and then at his protege who was for once keeping his face free of any emotion, however, he could see the determination in the youth's eyes. He knew Link and, knowing the princess, she had had most probably talked him into taking her there no matter and once Link was convinced it was nearly impossible to dissuade him. Alfonzo looked between the two teenagers again, trying not to let on too much.

"To the Tower of Spirits? Whatever for?"

Zelda's brow creased in frustration as she burst out:

"We don't have time to discuss this right now! I'll tell you all about it when we're aboard!"

Alfonzo still looked uncertain his gaze flitting between the two youth's. He wasn't sure what he would do with himself if something happened to them. He couldn't let Link, a boy he loved as son, and Zelda, a girl he'd watched grow up as well as become the kingdom's princess no less, get hurt on his watch. He sighed, asking as much:

"But what if something happens?"

Zelda looked up at him almost pleadingly, imploring him with her beautiful blue eyes.

" 'If something happens' is exactly why I need you! You were once the greatest swordsman in the whole kingdom."

Alfonzo sighed: he knew when he was losing an argument, but he had to make sure the Princess understood the full truth.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago. Now I'm just a simple train engineer, living in the countryside. I can't be more than that, but I'll come along with you if you wish."

Zelda beamed, a look of triumph and happiness lighting up her young face. Alfonzo shook his head and turned to the boy.

"Alright, Link. We're heading to the Tower of Spirits. Be careful."

The boy nodded seriously:

"Of course."

Zelda clapped her hands happily and called out.

"Aaaalll aaabbboooaaarrrdd!"

She looked ecstatic as she clambered into the train car. She would never tell anyone, but that had been one of her dreams in life. Of course, it wasn't princess like to do so...Not that she cared about that right now. It wasn't like she had Chancellor Cole or the Council watching her every move now that she was finally out of the castle. Hyrule Castle was supposed to be her home, but lately it had been feeling more and more like a prison. She knew the Council didn't take her seriously because she was a child in their eyes, but, for the love of Nayru, she wasn't a little girl anymore! Her great-grandmother had been her age when she'd encountered the Hero of the Winds and she was the captain of a group of pirates. Yes, she hadn't been raised as a pirate and, yes, she was Zelda Nohansen Hyrule and not Queen Tetra, but that didn't mean she was useless! With her father away the duty of protecting Hyrule fell to her and she would to her best to uphold that duty. After all, wasn't that what she was essentially being taught as a princess? Zelda shook her head, oblivious to Alfonzo's grumbling and the start of the train's movement: she had to focus. She was the only one that knew for certain that Hyrule was in danger and she needed help. She had to focus on the task at hand, one step at a time. And the current step was bringing Alfonzo up to speed.

===LOZ: JAH===

Link kept his eyes firmly on the tracks, taking care to obey all the signs as he headed the train towards the Tower of Spirits. Dimly, he could hear the Princess's clear voice bringing Alfonzo up to speed only occasionally interrupted by the startled exclamations of the man. He hoped Alfonzo believed the princess, he certainly did. Half of it was logic: he saw no reason for her to lie to him for what would she gain from that? Also there was the matter of the words of Chancellor Cole, but ,of course, he could be reading into them too much. The other half was gut feeling: there was the malicious aura the Chancellor gave off (he still wondered why his hand had reacted that way) as well as the feeling he felt from within - he just knew Princess Zelda was right and that meant New Hyrule was truly in danger. He couldn't just stand idly by.

Suddenly, all sorts of alarms went off in Link's head and he instantly snapped back to the present. A moment later he saw the cause of his alarm: the tracks were vanishing into thin air right before his eyes. Before his mind could fully process that fact Link reacted on the training Alfonzo had put him through for years on end and swiftly pulled the emergency brake lever. As a consequence the train did stop without skidding, but not before the young boy was abruptly tossed off it. His head and back exploded with pain and it seemed like the world had decided to play a spinning game like the children back in Outset often did, but Link forced himself to sit up - he had to make sure everyone else was alright. Head swimming, he stumbled back to his feet to see that both the train and the train car were okay and if the low click he'd barely registered signified anything it meant that the Princess and Alfonzo were also fine. His hopes were confirmed when he saw the Princess walk out from behind the train car, Alfonzo close behind her with his sword in hand. They both looked bewildered, but one glance beneath the train told them exactly what he knew - the tracks were no longer there. Surprise etched itself upon Alfonzo's face, while Princess Zelda's face favoured horror and a barely born tinge of despair. Link closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths willing his head to stop spinning. He was forced to open his eyes when he heard Alfonzo gasp and call out.

"Your Highness, look over there!"

Link looked to the princess and followed her gaze. His blood ran cold at the sight before his eyes as the back of his left hand began stinging violently again. In the normally clear blue sky an ominous, writhing purple thunderstorm of a cloud had formed over the Tower of Spirits. In the next moment it was as thought the cloud had grown millions of thin spindly hands and they wrapped around the tower tightly, almost trying maliciously to strangle the building while the three people in the fields watched on in horror. The wind began to positively howl around them. Over the chaos Link barely heard Zelda speak, her voice fearful and concerned.

"W-What's happening to the Tower of Spirits?"

Neither Link nor Alfonzo had an answer for her. The next moment there was a rumbling sound of something breaking apart with force and the ground shook beneath them. Dust encased the Tower of Spirits, but the moment the ferocious wind blew it away, Zelda, Link and Alfonzo were met with a far more disturbing sight: the tower- a symbol of Order in the land, was broken apart, spinning in the clutches of the evil cloud. However, the storm didn't seem to be done yet, it darkened and then what looked like a voluminous navy-black cloud snapped off from it and it flew diagonally down. Paralysed with fear, Zelda absently registered that it was a flying evil train with a vaguely familiar face, a face that was saying something as the train flew directly towards her. It was going to run her and Link over and they couldn't move. Zelda braced herself only to find herself flat on the ground the next second as the train flew right over them, missing them by a few inches. A dark, chilling voice spoke in her mind, a voice she couldn't place:

" _Ah, I've found you. Long time no see, Princess, Hero."_

She felt a chill run up her spine at the sound of the voice. The Princess looked up slightly to see Link picking himself up off her, having shoved them both down to the ground and out of harm's way. It seemed fear had not paralysed him as thoroughly as it had her. He held out a hand to her, a concerned look in his dark blue eyes.

"I'm sorry about pushing you. Are you alright?"

Zelda nodded mutely, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. It struck her that he had just saved her life while risking his. Why did this remind her of something? And that voice... Zelda didn't have time to ponder on that notion because the next moment she heard a very familiar, snide voice mockingly inquire.

"Out for a leisurely stroll, Your Highness? Tsk, tsk, tsk! You know that's not allowed!"

Zelda turned around her face full set in her 'cold princess' mask, only her eyes betrayed her fear. In a steely voice she quietly demanded, not waiting for the last of the dark cloud to clear. Her hand was burning again.

"Allowed by who? You, Chancellor Cole?"

The short man smiled sweetly before there was a flash of light and suddenly before them stood a still short man with two golden, twisted horns protruding from his head, the two top hats lying discarded on the grass. He smiled, his teeth glinting as a fork of lightning flashed in the sky. The man exploded.

"Who else, Princess?! Who do you think is really in charge?!"

Zelda and her companions were stunned speechless. Absently, Link thought that the answer to the Chancellor's mysterious hat problem was definitely not what he had imagined it could be. Meanwhile, the former chancellor reached up to rub his aching shoulders as a tall, heavily armed man with a mask approached them, stopping beside the short man. Cole sighed, dabbing at his forehead with a white handkerchief.

"My goodness, pretending to be a human is so exhausting. Who knew that Chancellor was just another word for royal babysitter?!"

He laughed at his own joke, failing to notice how the Princess stiffened at that. Link cast a sidelong glance at her to see her regal facade begin to crumble: fear, guilt, anger and despair flashing across her face like forks of lightning in the stormy sky. The Chancellor continued merrily.

"I had meant to keep up the ruse a little bit longer, but there is no need for that any more, Princess."

Cole's eyes flicked over to Link and Alfonzo. He didn't notice how the boy winced when his hand burst into a new round of pain. Link glanced at it: what was going on with his hand? Eyes stopping on Alfonzo for a mere second, Cole continued his tirade.

"Bringing in the boy and the engineer didn't help either."

Zelda took a step back, uncertainty in her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was faltering, she had been prepared to confront Cole had she not? So, why, why did all her courage seem intent on leaving her now? The stinging sensation on the back of her hand was not helping matters. Voice wavering, she asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Cole looked at her almost pityingly before sighing exaggeratedly. He started walking in the direction of the spirit tower, his profile turned to them. With an infuriating sort of patience, as though explaining something obvious to a small child, he spoke.

"I'm talking about the relics of those horrifying spirits."- his voice was dripping with disgust before a small smile settled itself on his lips,-"Now that those vile tracks are disappearing, the time is finally at hand!

He sounded positively giddy with excitement. He paused, stopping his walk. In the same tone, though now it held a mocking edge, he continued.

"All we need now is...",- Cole turned around and flashed a malicious grin at Zelda,-"- little help from the Princess!"

Before anyone else could say anything Alfonzo intervened. His stepped to stand in front of Zelda and Link, shielding the teens with his body. In a grim tone, he addressed the princess of New Hyrule.

"I don't know who these two are, Your Highness, but with your permission...",- Alfonzo raised his still sheathed sword his stance changing to that of a warrior,-"I'd be happy to teach them some manners!"

Cole suddenly flew up a few feet of the ground and cackled.

"Nyee hee hee hee hee! How adorably... _human_!"

Alfonzo had had enough. Swiftly, he unsheathed his sword, casting the scabbard back as he declared.

"Enough out of you! My family has served the royal house for generations! I will not allow you to touch the Princess!"

Inwardly, Alfonzo added his own protege to that too. He'd sooner fall than let any harm come to either of them. Cole sighed and in a whiny voice he spoke to the tall man beside him, floating by his shoulder.

"Melodrama bores me. Staven, would you kindly dispose of this fool?"

The man,Staven, surveyed Alfonozo's battle stance calculatingly before speaking in a cold, smooth baritone voice.

"This man speaks the truth, Cole. His movements are not those of an amateur. And he's not my enemy."

Cole seemed slightly annoyed by that, but he chuckled and floated back anyway as Staven thrust out his claw-arm. For a few long moments they circled each other before arm and sword clashed, producing a deafening clanging sound. They parted and weaved before coming together once more. It seemed Alfonzo was fighting seriously to kill, while Staven was aiming to injure and incapacitate, but not kill. He was sticking to his words. The duel pattern repeated itself over and over with neither willing to give any ground. Breathless, Alfonzo fiercely proclaimed.

"I told you, I will defend the princess at any cost!"

In a muffled, but equally strong voice, Staven retorted.

"And I told you: we're not enemies!"

With that he gave a strong push, digging his claw fingers into Alfonzo's side, drawing blood before kicking him away. The tall darker skinned man was cast back and slammed into the train car before falling to the ground,blood seeping out of his puncture wound, seemingly unconscious. Link turned to look at him, horror written over his face, his heart beating wildly. No! This couldn't be happening! Alfonzo couldn't be...couldn't be...he just couldn't be! Zelda felt an equal amount of pain and fear at the sight of the once-greatest swordsman lying in pool of his own blood a few short feet away from them. Cole cackled manically, floating closer to Staven again, clapping his hands gleefully like a small child.

"Nyee hee hee hee hee! Oh, Staven, you do know how to put on a show!"

Staven sighed, looking at Cole over his shoulder. The man did not understand anything beyond his own ambitions. He had no sense of a warrior's honour whatsoever.

"He's only human, Cole. He's no match for me at all."

"Oh, whatever. Just grab the girl!"

Staven advanced towards Zelda, his muscular body much taller than the Princess's still rather short delicate one. She stood still, once again paralysed by fear. Her feistiness and courage were nowhere to be found. In a broken whisper she called out to her only protector left.

"Help me, Link, please!"

She had no means of defending herself at all. To both Staven's and Zelda's surprise the boy didn't hesitate to come to her aid, picking up Alfonzo's sword (which was clearly far too large for him) and pushing Zelda behind himself. A tingling sensation exploded in both teenager's hands as soon Link's hand touched her bare shoulder. A trio of golden triangles lit up on the backs of their left hands, one glower brighter than the other two. Zelda gasped, recognising the mark of the Triforce. But what was she doing with it? And Link? Meanwhile, the young engineer stood valiantly in front of the princess, sword held aloft in a position his body had told him to adopt though he had never held a weapon in his hands before this moment. Staven had to admit he admired the boy's courage, but courage was nothing without skill. The boy managed to block his first two strikes, but Staven's physical strength and skill quickly overwhelmed him and he first disarmed the boy before throwing him aside, leaving the princess defenceless. She clutched the hand that was glowing (why was it glowing? Staven wondered briefly) closer to her chest and took a shaky step back, fear evident on her young, but undoubtedly beautiful features that were streaked with rain and mud.

"No! Don't come any closer!"

With a small flash of light from her hand a transparent spherical bubble surrounded the girl's body from the front. Staven was surprised: the Hylian princess knew how to use defensive magic? He wasn't worried though. While the princess was focused on him Cole flew up from behind and struck her with a bolt of dark magic. The Princess screamed as the zaps engulfed her body, but she fell before their feet quickly enough. Cole smiled, satisfied. His grin only faltered a bit when he saw a small light blue orb of light exit the young girl's body, but he dismissed it as nothing of importance, never noticing that the shining triangles on the girl's hand had disappeared along with the orb which shot off in the direction of the castle. He turned to his warrior.

"Good work, Staven. That takes care of the first step of our plan"

He chuckled delightedly, looking at the unconscious form of the female teenager, the vessel for his majesty. Staven picked the body up, easily tucking it under his arm. Cole floated forward, adding.

"Our work here is done. Come now, Staven!"

The warrior obediently followed him. Neither of the noticed the young boy struggle to stay conscious, angry at himself and his inability to protect the princess, as he watched them carry her body away before he succumbed to the sweet tide of unconsciousness.

 **Ok, so that's it for the second chapter. I hope you liked it, feel free to give me an honest review down below telling me what I should work on AFTER you read this AN.**

 **1) Ok, I know people who know LoZ history and lore expertly will be mad at me for what I've done with the inclusion of the Triforce and an identity for the train, but listen up here people - THIS IS AN AU! It's not meant to be canonical. This isn't exactly like the game because it's a fanfiction with what I'd find intriguing in it. Don't get me wrong, I adore Spirit Tracks, it's the first game I ever played period, but I'm writing this fanfiction as an AU take on it. Things won't be the same. I can understand that this would annoy some people, but if a faithful spot on adaptation of the game is what you're looking for this is not it. I'm sorry, but that's how it is and I will not budge on this. If you are a decent, civilised person and are not happy with what I've done you will calmly leave this fanfic and go read another one that suits your tastes. I will not be accepting any flames. Yes, I know that after WW the Triforce most probably returned to the sacred realm, that the train is just the boss evil train etc. There's no need to tell me this either, I promise you I did my research. I'm sorry if I offended anyone with this rant, but I decided to address this as early as possible before I got spammed with reviews or PM's saying the same thing. Thank you.**

 **2) On a less ranting note: Who liked the little inserts of the past I showed? Honestly, I loved the way that Ganondorf tells Link in WW that he can see that he truly is the Hero of Time reborn so I thought it would be interesting if Link and Zelda slowly regained their memories of their previous incarnations because in the end their souls or spirits are the same very time. Heck, they even look the same very single time (Tetra doesn't really count.) If anyone's curious the memories are from (in this order): Skyward Sword (SS), Ocarina of Time (OoT) and Wind Waker (WW). I decided to go with these three and exclude MC and TFSA from it.**

 **3) Tell me if you spotted any typos please.**

 **Well, I hope you liked this chapter and aren't too mad at me for my rant. I have no clue when the next chapter will be out (chances are within the next 2 weeks but no definite date) so leave me a note if you have the time on what I should improve upon. See you in the next one!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, I'm back. Apologies for the long wait, this chapter was a tricky one. I really do think I messed up Link and Zelda's characters here. I tried. Well, I'll see you at the bottom.**

==LOZ:JAH==

 ** _Chapter 3 - The Spirit of the Princess_**

The last few rays of red-robed sun filtered through the open window in the infirmary, casting the warm pale orange glow of twilight onto the polished wooden floor of the room. It was a rather empty room and much smaller than other rooms within the castle, currently only four people were inside it: the first was a guard garbed in the green uniform who stood at the door silently, the second was an elderly man dressed in a cream waistcoat who was pacing back and forth with a nervous look on his face, the third was tall darker skinned man who's torso was wrapped in blood-stained bandages as he lay on a cot, softly groaning in pain, drifting in and out consciousness from the wound he had been dealt and the last was a young teenage boy who lay unconscious on the cot beside the older man's, his face scrunching up as he dealt with whatever images his mind was forcing him to bear witness to. The room held a slightly oppressive atmosphere.

Rauru Ledge, the king's second advisor and the young princess Zelda's teacher, was pacing, desperately trying to cling to whatever scraps of composure he could muster up. Inwardly, he was panicking. The sun was setting, the princess was missing, the tracks had disappeared entirely, the princess was missing, strange rumours about the tower of Spirits could be heard, the princess was missing and now someone had managed to badly injure the once strongest and still undoubtedly bravest swordsman in the land - Alfonzo Pyraws! Had he mentioned the princess was missing? Oh, King Dorian was going to have his head for this! He had left Hyrule and his daughter, the sole heir to the throne, in his hands, trusting him to look after them and he had failed! How could he tell him that his only child, their beloved princess, Zelda was missing! Oh, this was bad, this was very very bad! And with the tracks gone the King's return would be delayed! Why had the princess vanished? Had it been kidnapping or had she snuck out like in the past? Why had she not taken a proper escort with her? Oh, what was he to do?!

Rauru's worried green eyes darted from one point to another in the room until they stopped on the vulnerable form of the teenage boy lying unconscious beside his own teacher. Rauru remembered him from the graduation ceremony and he also remembered how strange the princess had acted after it. It was like she was both confused and elated at the same time. He had chalked it up to the Princess being happy to be free of the Chancellor's demands (she had always disliked the man for one reason or other), but had the boy had something to do with her mood change? She had been rather insistent on keeping the ceremony on track...No, the boy had nothing to do with it, Rauru decided. How could he? He and her Highness had never met till the present day. But now the boy was somehow injured along with Alfonzo though not as badly. How was this boy, Link Knight he believed was his name, involved?

Rauru's rumination and pacing was cut off as the boy stirred, his face creasing into a frown. A soft gasp of pain tumbled past his lips and Rauru hurried closer to the bed. He knew it was impolite of him to question an ailing young man so, but he was desperate. Maybe this youth knew where the princess was...

Link's head felt as though someone had rammed it against the front of the train repeatedly before moinks went tap dancing all over his body. Why did his body hurt? Had been doing something stupidly risky again? Most probably. But what exactly? A tide of different images brought forth from his recent memory assaulted his mind: the tracks vanishing, the Tower of Spirits breaking apart, the Princess's fearful expression, the dark storm, him reacting on instinct and pushing Zelda out of the the evil train's way after which it called out to them, the Chancellor's true form, the man named Staven fighting Alfonzo, Alfonzo bleeding on the ground, the princess's fear, the instinct to protect her at all costs overwhelming him as he stood in front of her, Staven easily disarming him and then the princess getting captured and carried away...The princess! Zelda! She was in trouble! And the Chancellor was a demon! He had her! He had to do something! Link bolted upright and groaned, a strong sense of vertigo overtaking him. He really shouldn't have sat up that fast. An unfamiliar male voice spoke from his right.

"Welcome back, boy. You are the new engineer, correct? You had your ceremony this morning, yes?"

Link turned to the origin of the voice and found himself looking at the elderly gentleman he had seen escorting the princess that morning. He had been at graduation ceremony too. Link nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, sir. I'm Link, the new engineer."

The old man nodded solemnly.

"So it would seem. I am Rauru. I am glad to see you finally awake, you have been unconscious for a little while. There was some hubbub outside and when I went to investigate people said the spirit tracks were disappearing..." he failed to notice the dark look flit across the young boy's face and merely continued "At that point, the guards brought you and Alfonzo in from outside. Your mentor is in a bad state, but our head healer says he'll make it. You were both out cold and the princess is missing...Now tell me, what happened?"

He fixed Link with a stern look and the boy looked away, a look of guilt and anger on his face. His hands clenched the sheets of the bed. In a strangled sort of voice he ground out.

"It's a long story and I doubt you'd believe me, but it all boils down to the fact that I failed because I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't protect her! She asked for my help and I was useless! It's all my fault..."

Rauru looked to the youth in confusion. The boy was definitely beating himself up over something. His eyes were squeezed shut and his form was trembling visibly. Rauru sighed and sat down on a chair beside a flickering candle.

"Well, right now I seem to have all the time in the world. Do tell. I doubt it's as bad as you make it out to be."

Link opened his deep cerulean eyes and he shook his head, running an hand through his messy blonde hair agitatedly. He murmured.

"It is just that bad. But, this is what happened.."

Link slowly told Rauru the story of what had transpired, omitting only a few details like the fact that he had helped the princess sneak out, changing it so that he ran into her in Castletown, he also left out the fact of the glowing triangles on their hands and the evil train speaking. Rauru watched him wordlessly as he talked, but Link could see the disbelief mounting in his eyes. He didn't believe him...Of course, who would? What was the word of one boy against the Chancellor? And who would even believe that the Chancellor was a demon literally? Once he somehow finished his tale there was a pause before Rauru sighed and spoke, his tone laden with disbelief.

"So, what you're saying is the Chancellor is some kind of monster?"

"Demon would be more precise, but yes."

"And he's kidnapped Princess Zelda?"

At this Link's guilt rushed at him like a wave, but somehow he managed to hold it back, nodding.

"Yes."

There was a beat of silence before Rauru chuckled good-naturedly.

"My goodness, what a story! You're just pulling my leg though, aren't you?"

As Link looked into the old man's kind and hopeful green eyes he was torn between telling him the truth and lying. This man obviously cared about the princess and the truth would hurt him, but...Link unexpectedly remembered him father's words: " _Remember, son, sometimes the bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie. It's better to be honest at those times._ " Link pushed down the memory, but turned to Rauru and firmly shook his head, swinging his legs off the cot and slipping on his boots.

"No. That is the absolute truth. I can understand that you don't want to believe me-.

Rauru cut him off with a panicked exclamation.

"WHAT?! So what you're saying is the princess had been kidnapped! This is terrible! I must inform the Princess at once!"

Link looked at the elderly man patiently, waiting for him to get it. His heart was in the right place, but perhaps his age was catching up to him. It took another minute for it to click.

"Ah, yes, that's right. She's not here. Well, I'm at a loss as to what to do. And the King! Oh, goddesses, King Dorian! What to do...what to do..."

"Um, I'll just leave you to it then."

Link tried to excuse himself politely, but Rauru was no longer listening. The teenager sighed. He thought about leaving the room when he heard a deep voice rasp. "Link."

That was Alfonzo's voice! Link rushed to his bedside, more than a little worried for his mentor. He quieted his footsteps as he approached, remembering his own splitting headache at waking up. Inwardly, he flinched when he saw the bloody bandages on Alfonzo's torso. Quietly, Link spoke up.

"Alfonzo?"

The head engineer opened his brown eyes which were swimming with pain, but still held that glint of clarity about them. His breathing was laboured. "Link...You're...alright...right?"

Link nodded. "Yeah, I'm a little sore, but I'm fine, Alfonzo. You..."

Alfonzo shook his head, giving a small groan of pain. "No...Link, what happened...to the princess? Did...she...did she make it out..." he coughed up a bit of blood, but persevered "unharmed?"

Link looked away, unsure of what to tell him. He didn't know if she was alright and that killed him. It was his fault she was captured! He had known that he had to protect her. He'd felt it deep inside! She had been unarmed! He had failed her... The heir to the throne was gone and it was because of his weakness! And what was worse that with tracks gone and Cole being a demon (as difficult to believe as that was) all of Hyrule was in danger! He felt miserable. Alfonzo reached out a hand and firmly grasped Link by the wrist, forcing the boy to look at him.

"Link...promise me...that you'll take care of...her? As long as...I'm laid up...you're responsible for her...safety...Promise me, Link!"

Link nodded, swallowing thickly. He couldn't tell her that he'd failed the princess already. He'd lost her to a demon no less! But he knew who had her...Maybe he could go find her! It was a stupid idea, but Link had never been one to listen to common sense and besides this felt somehow familiar. Not right, but something close to it. He'd find her, he'd save her and make up for failing her however he could. Link spoke quietly.

"I promise."

"Good... Take...care, kid."

Alfonzo's grip slackened as the tide of unconsciousness pulled him under again. Carefully, Link returned Alfonzo's hand to his side and only then did he notice something. On the back of his left hand there were three triangles burned into his skin, the rightmost one fully filled in unlike the other two which were just outlined. Stepping away from Alfonzo's bedside, Link ran a hand over the mark. This...Where had it come from? He remembered the glowing triangles and the burning feeling on his hand when he stood to protect the Princess...What did they mean? Somehow he felt like he knew the answer, but it was elusive, like a quiet ghost sitting at the edge of his consciousness.

Still lost in thought, Link left the infirmary and ventured into the castle corridors. He was only stopped once by a guard who worriedly inquired if he knew what was going on and where the princess and the Chancellor were. Link told him he didn't know, prompting the guard to apologise and walk off mumbling something about new recruits. Link smiled wryly looking down at the green garb Zelda had given him. It was odd how comfortable he felt in it. He turned a corner on his aimless walk when he heard a familiar voice in the corridor up ahead.

"Hello! Hello! Guards! Please help me!"

Link's eyes widened and he snapped back to reality. He knew that voice, but how in all of Hyrule...How could she be here? Had she escaped from Cole and Staven? No, that seemed improbable, but...He hurried towards the source of the voice only to see the same rude pre-throne room guard along with... Link did a double-take at the sight. In front of the guard was a girl that was undoubtedly Princess Zelda, but she was semi-transparent not unlike a ghost and she also happened to be floating off the ground by at least two feet. She called out again.

"Can any of you see me? I need your help!"

The guard didn't move. He didn't seem to hear her. Link frowned: why could he hear her perfectly then? Obviously distressed, Zelda flew past him into the next room. Concerned and curious at the same time, Link snuck past the snoozing (aha!) guard into the throne room. Zelda was in there, desperately trying to catch the attention of a fully awake guard.

"Help! I need your help!"

When she realised that he too couldn't hear her, her shoulders sagged and she buried her face in her hands. Her voice was laced with tears as she murmured the next words." Why can't anyone hear me?"

Link could tell she was very close to crying, he went to call out to her, to tell her that he could see and hear her, but Zelda had already phased through a pair of double doors. That was not good. Luckily, the guard at the doors didn't seem to object to him going through, assuming him a recruit doing some kind of chore on the second floor. He had a feeling he knew where Zelda would be. His feet tracing the path he had taken last time, Link soon found himself carefully pushing open the door to the princess's study. She was there. He quietly closed it behind himself and for a few moments absolute silence reigned supreme as they both stood still. Then, ever so slowly, as if afraid to be mistaken again, the princess turned around to look at him. Her blue eyes were wide and rimmed with tears as she gazed upon him, uncertain even, but he looked back at steadily, with a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. Barely audibly, in a trembling voice she reached out to him.

"Link?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

A spark of hope lit up in her eyes and she took a single step forward (she was standing on the floor he noticed). "Can you...see me, Link?"

He nodded once more. "Perfectly, Princess. I can hear you too, but I think we've established that already."

To his surprise, the princess suddenly released a sound between a sob and a laugh, and a relieved smile broke out on her face. She quickly ran her hands over her face and that's when he noticed she looked a bit different. Simpler somehow, but no less lovely. It took him a moment to pinpoint the reason, but it turned out that she wasn't wearing any makeup. The slight blue eyeshadow and whatever paint that had been applied to her lips was gone, this was an interesting change and somehow he liked her better this way. The though flitted through his mind before he could stop himself. He gave himself a good mental slap: how the princess looked should not matter to him, especially not now! They had other problems to deal with! Stupid head! He focused back on the girl in front of him who was still looking at him in slight disbelief as well as confusion.

Zelda couldn't really believe it. It was strange. Out of all the people in the castle, every guard, every maid and even her teacher and all the people in Castletown - none could see her or hear her, but the most unlikely person could. What exactly was going on? She looked at his left hand to see the mark of the Triforce of Courage burned into it's skin. She cast a glance at her own hand and there it was clear as day, it had even burned into her glove - the Triforce of Wisdom. Few people in New Hyrule would recognise these symbols, but Zelda knew them fairly well as she did their history so this puzzled her all the more. Why exactly did she have it? The last person in history to have it was her great-grandmother, Queen Tetra, but how did she end up having it then? The Triforce couldn't exactly be passed down the bloodline, could it? And if she had Wisdom and Link somehow had ended up with Courage (she wondered how that had happened too) who had Power? Also, why did that bother her so much? She had to focus on what was going on. Why was she in this state? She couldn't touch anything or anyone and no one could see or hear her save for Link...That led her to conclude that somehow her spirit had gotten separated from her body when Cole had attacked. At the memory of the attack, she turned back to look at Link to see cut on his forehead that Staven's claw arm had given him. It wasn't a big wound or an especially dangerous one as it was already healing up, but guilt flooded her heart. She had dragged an innocent bystander into her own problems and he had ended up getting hurt. And that was not even mentioning Alfonzo. She shuddered at the memory of him lying in a pool of his own blood. Zelda sighed and bowed her head to the boy in apology.

"I am so sorry for what happened to Alfonzo." she looked up to meet his eyes "And to you too. I never knew the Chancellor was capable of such evil..."

Zelda looked away, unable to stand the kindness in his eyes. He got hurt because of her and for all she knew Alfonzo could be dying because of her negligence. She should have known something was amiss with Cole from the way her left hand stung whenever she was near him. So much for Wisdom... Now, all of Hyrule was going to suffer because of her! Zelda clasped her hand together in front of her in an effort to keep some semblance of composure, but she couldn't help the anger aimed at herself and the despair that trickled into her voice.

"All these years, and I never noticed what he really was. I was a fool."

It was his voice that forced her to lift her head, he was firmly disagreeing with her.

"That's not true, your Highness. You couldn't have known. Look at us, we're just ordinary Hylian teenagers - we're not anything like Cole. You couldn't have done anything."

Zelda, however, wouldn't be persuaded that easily. With her voice shaking a bit she spoke. "I am the Princess of Hyrule, my father left me in charge when he left and look what I've done in his absence - I let the spirit tracks disappear, I let Cole kidnap my body for some reason or other, I let Alfonzo get hurt and I am now in no position to rule. I've made a mess of everything! Hyrule and her people are in danger and it's all my fault! I've even dragged you into this!"

Zelda covered her face with her hands, unable to keep her emotions from spilling out. She was supposed to be more in control, to keep her ice princess mask no matter what, but she couldn't. She had never felt less in control than now. It was like she was sliding on ice towards the abyss and she couldn't stop. Everything was going wrong because of her mistakes. The Council was right: her father should have never left her in charge! It felt like all her mistakes in life were crowding in on her, suffocating her. This mess was all her fault and she couldn't do anything. Some Triforce of Wisdom bearer she was! Her ancestors would be so ashamed of her. She couldn't even-

Suddenly the pressure was gone and she felt warmth around her wrists, a gentle but steady warmth that was pulling her hands from her face. She didn't resist and when she opened her eyes she was met with a determined expression on the boy's face. Somehow that sent all the suffocating pressure back. In a steady voice that left no room for arguments he spoke.

"Zelda, this is not your fault. Alfonzo and I willingly helped you, because what you were doing was right. You didn't drag us into this kicking and screaming, now did you?" She shook her head, not even registering the fact that he'd called her by her given name "See? So that's one off the list. Two, you never could have known what Cole was up to. Sure, the man gives everyone the creeps, but somehow that's what all politicians seem to do. You weren't the one who gave Cole power, the King chose him for the Council, not you. Now, did you destroy the tacks? No and even if you'd grabbed onto them and held them they would have disappeared. Cole just struck when Hyrule wasn't ready and neither were you so none of this is your fault. Yes, you did make yourself vulnerable to their attack, but no one would have suspected what he'd do. How could you have changed that? To be honest, I think it's better it happened out in the fields than in here...Can you imagine what power Cole could have if you suddenly "collapsed" in the Castle? He would bring Hyrule to ruin. And by having Alfonzo and I with you, you now have two people that saw what happened and are behind you completely. You're not alone, I'm here too. I can help you. I made a promise to Alfonzo to look after you no matter what and I intend to keep it."

She looked at him, forgoing trying to act properly with protocol and whatnot. She didn't even notice that he was somehow capable of touching her as though she was solid. Quietly, Zelda mumbled absently.

"I don't need a babysitter."

Link laughed at that. Out of all the things she could have said she chose to focus on that? Smiling brightly, he shook his head.

"No, you don't, your Highness. But I do think you could use some help. If this is a mess then it can be fixed, right? Well, since you don't need a babysitter and Alfonzo made me promise to take care of you I think I can offer my assistance, right?"

Zelda looked at him, uncertainly. "Why are you so willing to help? This isn't your problem."

His eyes lost all the amusement at that, turning serious. "I love Hyrule too, your Highness. And I'm not one to turn down a person in need. Cole is obviously up to no good and I want to stop him. It was more or less my weakness that led you to being captured, if I had been stronger than maybe this wouldn't have happened. If we're playing the blame game then I think both of us have something to answer for. This is as much my mess as it is yours."

Zelda sighed and nodded, acquiescing. It looked like she'd have to drag him along with her problems further. This was strange. Somehow she'd known what he would say, like this had happened before in a different life. It was an odd, but not an all that unpleasant feeling. He released her hands and looked at his own hands in surprise. It seemed the oddity surrounding his actions had only just become apparent to him.

"Um, wait, how did I even manage to touch you? Your not in your body so..."

Zelda too, looked a little surprised at that. "I..don't really know. But if I had to guess I'd say the Triforce marks on your hand and mine had something to do with it...At least, that's the only explanation I can come up with..."

Link looked confused at her words. "The Triforce?"

Zelda gave a tiny shrug , pointing to his left hand and holding out her own to demonstrate.

"I've only heard of legends about it, much like the legend of the battle of the Spirits with Malladus. It was a great power, said to have been created by the three Golden Godesses themselves and entrusted to another to protect. After a long time a calamity befell the kingdom that protected it - that would be Old Hyrule according to the limited notes that were added to the text of the legend by someone - and the golden power, three golden triangles split into three separate pieces, embodying Power, Wisdom and Courage. When they split up the pieces attached themselves to the ones who's souls embodied what they represented the most. Apparently if the three pieces are ever brought together and united once more something will happen. It's not really clear what. At least that's all I know."

Link looked down at the mark on his own hand in a new light. This was the mark of a legendary power and by some divine prank he was chosen to have a piece of it? Why him? Why an ordinary train engineer? He glanced towards the princess's mark. Yes, her he could understand, but why him? He was no one compared to her. He gave a small nod of gratitude.

"Thank you for telling me that, Princess. I've never heard of this legend before."

"Few people have. I'm afraid that not much is known about Old Hyrule and not many people are willing to listen to legends. In any case, we need to figure out how to fix this mess first." there was pause before she resumed "You saw it too, didn't you? You saw what happened to the Tower of Spirits..."

Link nodded, an uncertain expression taking over his face. Zelda, meanwhile, simply looked thoughtful.

"Why would the Tower have broken apart like that? It must have something to do with that demon. The same one who made the spirit tracks disappear...So, this has to be the handiwork of Cole and his crony, um, Staven. But what could their goal be?"

Link looked to Zelda to see her begin pacing though it was slightly unnerving to notice that there was no sound as her feet made contact with the floor. She continued to mutter something to herself, failing to notice how she left the ground and rose higher and higher, making Link's mouth drop open in surprise while she sat midair, near the ceiling. He barely heard her speak.

"He said something about the spirit tracks vanishing...Why did they take my body away? What will they do with it?"

"Um. Your Highness?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It seem I'm much...lighter without my body"

Zelda looked down to see how high up she was and instantly she felt slightly uncomfortable. She easily, thankfully (she'd gotten stuck up high before), dropped down to the floor without a sound just as previously. She was still getting used to this form. One she hoped desperately was temporary. She missed her old body already. Zelda turned to Link, a determined look in her eyes, one that signified that she had a plan.

"Listen, Link. Let's try again to go to the Tower of the Spirits. I know of a rumoured passageway that we can take. Now, more than ever, we have to find the wise one! She or he might know what's going on"

Link nodded, agreeing. He felt like he could breathe much easier knowing that they had a plan of action. He made to move towards the door so they could get on their way, when the princess spoke again, her voice hesitant, but clear.

"Before we go, I want to show you something." He turned around to see her hovering near the pan flute "This pan flute, the Spirit Pipes, is a prized family heirloom. It's been handed down for generations. It belonged to my ancestor, Queen Tetra, who founded this kingdom. It's my greatest treasure of all."

Link slowly approached Zelda and the object on the pedestal. It was a pan flute, made of 6 pipes with different coloured ends, held together by an intricately carved piece of wood with teal tassels on either side of it. For such an old object it was certainly held in perfect condition and Link could almost feel an odd sort power emanating from it. Zelda smiled slightly, continuing.

"I can't carry it when I'm in this state, as you can see. But I'm certain it's meant to protect me. I can hardly ask you to do anything more for me..." Zelda hesitated befor e casting him a hopeful look "But...will you take this? I know I'm asking a lot already, but you're the only person I can turn to now."

Link nodded, carefully taking the elegant instrument in hand. Zelda smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes. He stowed it away inside his "bottomless" pouch along with his other items. Suddenly, the form that was Zelda turned into a small light blue ball of light. The ball spoke, her voice unaltered.

"Thank you so much, Link. Now, then, shall we go? I think this form will make it easier for me to travel alongside you."

He wordlessly nodded once more, following the spirit of the princess out of the room. Inwardly, though he was all for the princess's plan, Link couldn't help mentally asking what he was getting himself into.

===LOZ: JAH===

"Um, Princess, are we sure this is a good idea?"

Link asked, weighing the sword in his hand. Zelda, back in her full body form, floated next to him, eying him in confusion.

"Why wouldn't it be? If we're to go to the Tower of Spirits you need to learn how to fight."

Link frowned, mulling over her words. His spirit companion was right of course, but he had a bad feeling. No, calling it a 'bad' feeling was wrong - it was one of an odd anxiousness mixed with excitement. The weight of the sword felt both familiar and foreign in his hand and what both scared him and surprised him was the fact that he was comfortable with it. He'd only really held a sword in his hands once before, against Staven. This did not bode well with him.

They had gone to the entrance to the back of the castle, but the guard wouldn't let him through without a weapon and so Zelda had suggested they get one from the Guard Captain Russel. He, fortunately, had agreed with a little teasing, but Link had to show him his nonexistent skills first. To that remark he'd shown Link a few moves, but nothing beyond. Currently, he was struggling with himself while Zelda was doing her best to cheer him on. Finally, Link sighed and lowered the weapon, moving into a comfortable stance, nodding.

"You're right. Let's do this!"

Zelda beamed, grateful for even a little enthusiasm on his part. She didn't really understand the source of his apprehension: from the way he'd blocked Staven's attacks it seemed like he knew how to handle a weapon and simply the difference in strength had caused him to lose. She had also always wanted to see the guards train, but due to her studies and her social status she was forbidden - it was 'unladylike' and highly 'unprincess-like' apparently. She clapped her hands excitedly.

"I know you'll do great. Wipe the floor with them! Show them who's boss!"

Link turned to stare at her in surprise and Zelda clapped her hands over her mouth, her cheeks flushing as she realised what she'd said. The last two phrases were something she'd picked up from reading literature outside her princess curriculum and from her maids. Whoops. That definitely was not princess-like . A sly grin spread across the boy's face.

"Wow, who knew the princess was like this? I wonder what others would say...I mean their crown princess is ordering me, a simple train engineer, to mop the floor with her castle guard..."

"Eh, it's not like you'll have trouble with them."

He looked at her in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

Zelda gave him a incredulous look.

"Link, you were able to sneak into my quarters no problem. I think it's a safe bet to say a simple train engineer could beat at least one of them."

"Just one?"

"Maybe two..."

"How about two and a half?"

Zelda laughed, ignoring the odd looks thrown their way. No one could see who the 'recruit' was talking to after all. She shoved Link in the shoulder lightly, still amazed that she could touch him at all.

"I think there'd be a clerical error with that."

"True. Mm, so what if I beat three?"

"Then you'll have done a good job."

"Really?"

"For a train engineer."

"A train engineer with a sword. So, you really sure I can't beat three?"

"Oh, just get going, Link"

"Okay, okay. Quit shoving me, Princess. It looks like I'm doing a weird dance."

"Go dance with the swords, you annoyance of an engineer"

"Insults already? That's a bit fast, your highness. Though, fine, I shall go 'mop the floor' with your guard as per your orders."

Zelda shot him a withering glare. She had not meant to slip up in front of someone her age of all people. She was just trying to spread some of her enthusiasm and he just had to catch that. Grrr. However, Zelda's irritation quickly vanished as she saw Link and the guards begin their weird spar before she knew it she was cheering happily, forgetting completely that the only person who could hear her was the one she was rooting for which was both a bad thing and a good thing, depending on how one chose to look at it.

As he rather easily dodged the attacks Link's mind drifted a bit to the exchange he'd just shared with the spectral princess. What was that about? And how had he let himself talk to her that way?! She was the crown princess, the future queen of Hyrule for crying out loud! Where'd he get off acting like they'd been friends for ages? No, Link reaffirmed in his mind, he had to get his act together. She would be their monarch and he had to treat her that way. It was a surprise that she hadn't chopped off his head yet, not that he wasn't thankful for that. Link shook his head at himself and, ducking under a stab from one of the guard's spears (ha! there were benefits to still being shorter than most adults), launched himself fully into the training exercise. He was morally uncomfortable with the sword in his hand and all it implicated, but physically? Physically, the sword was an extension of his body,like it was a vital piece of who he was.

Link spun to avoid another jab and whirled, turning his dodge into an offensive-counter move, slicing the guard's spear in half and placing his swordpoint to the man's neck. That was two he'd disarmed now. The man instantly raised his hands in surrender, but his smirk gave away a very important fact. Link wasn't stupid after all. He dropped down into a crouch, making the other guard, the one behind him miss him completely. From his crouching position he spun like a child's spinning top whilst standing up, the sword in his hand becoming a deadly ring of destruction. The guard stepped back and he took this as his cue. He sliced downwards, but this guard had a faster reaction time than the last, parrying his attack by catching it on the metal part of the spear. Clever. Link wasn't deterred however, some sort of competitive spirit had taken hold of him. He launched another attack, but the guard parried again. That seemed to turn into a repetitive game of back and forth where Link would attempt to attack before falling back into defence as the guard bore down on him. He had nearly lost hold of his sword once. The other guards training had stopped to watch and now were eagerly cheering their comrade on while the Captain watched with interest, not taking any side. It would seem nobody expected the teenage boy to win, but Link wasn't really that bothered. He did have a certain spectral princess, who'd completely lost her regal composure and was acting like a teenager, yelling that he either mop the floor with that guy or that he was better than the rest of these guys and he better show them what's what. Link smiled slightly: the princess was definitely a rather odd cheerleader, but he definitely appreciated the sentiment. Link decided to focus on the task again as the tip of the spearpoint grazed his cheek, drawing a thin cut on his face. He had to take this seriously. Once again he let himself go, letting something inside him tell him how to move and it guided him steadily just as it had against Staven (though he definitely hoped the ending would be better this time around.). He fell back a step, pretending to give the guard an opening which he cockily took, never noticing Link move his hand until it was too late. With the sound of a whistle, Link's sword cut through the air and the spear from above. He then pivoted, his other foot knocking the man's foot from under him. The guard tripped, ended up with his butt on the floor and Link's sword pointing at his neck as the boy tried to regain his breath. The man raised an impressed eyebrow and raised his hands up in surrender, silently astonished by the fierce look in the boy's eyes. What an unusual trainee. The teenage boy smiled, lowering his sword and holding out a hand. The guard took it gratefully and Link helped him up. He patted the boy on the back.

"You did great, kid, even though your moves still have that rookie clumsiness. Few realise that fighting isn't just about instinct, it's about using your head too. Well done. Go talk to the Captain."

"Um...Thank you, sir."

"No problem, kid. I'm up for another round if you get want to spar again."

Link gave him a genuine smile, despite the fact that he wasn't sure his body would ever stop feeling like jelly ever again.

"I'll keep your offer in mind."

The guard nodded and went off to join his friends. A happy exclamation came from behind him.

"That was amazing! You did a wonderful job, Link! I told you you'd win against them. Seems like I was right."

Link turned his head to the side to see a happily grinning spirit princess float up to him. Why he had accepted her new form so easily was beyond him. He nodded, sheathing the sword in the scabbard he'd been given. Hm, he needed to find a way to carry this better.

"You were. Though that last match was tough."

"I could tell. Still, I knew you'd win."

Link looked to the princess in surprise.

"How come?"

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"You began fighting seriously. You had drive. Plus, I would call it a hunch. Now, come on, we should speak to the Captain. He did say he'd give you the sword if you did this exercise."

"Right. Though it's probably the middle of the night by now."

Zelda cast him a concerned look, the fact that he could be tired just dawning on her.

"Do you want to put off going to the Tower for tomorrow? I'm sure it can wait a bit - I don't want you to collapse."

Link waved off her concern with a smile.

"I'm fine, your Highness. I did just sleep through the last couple of hours after the incident with Cole, though I guess saying I was unconscious would be more accurate. Besides, we can't let Cole and Staven get away with your body!"

Zelda vigorously nodded her head, all the horrible scenarios flooding her mind again.

"Yes, we must speak to the Wise One as soon as possible! Come on, let's go!"

She was definitely fired up now, Link would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. It wasn't just the fact that they'd stolen her body that bothered the boy - it was what they were planning to do with it that and how that would affect Hyrule. He felt this unexplainable sense of duty towards both the princess and this land, but he had promised Alfonzo and this was his home. He'd protect his future monarch and his home, come what may. That sort of courage coming from himself surprised him, but he was confident in his decision. They came up to the guard captain who patted Link on the back. Hard.

"Good work, Leon!"

The boy didn't bother to correct him, apparently Captain Russel always messed up names (though how in Nayru's name did he end up as Leon?!)

"You've done all my horrible exercises! I'm surprised you didn't keel over from stress and fear!"

Yes, truly horrible: he had to smash jars with his sword (which was something he'd been adept at since he was nine hence Niko's fear for his jars and paranoia) and then he had to find the captain's hat. Though the fight with the guards had been tricky. The man, Captain Russel Doran was what Zelda had introduced him as, continued on enthusiastically.

"Yet you persevered and so you pass! Well, you've got the basics down so I'll give you that sword. You can also fasten the scabbard onto your back using this strap. Now, keep up the good work and come back here to polish your skills!"

Link snapped to a respectful salute to which Doran responded before dismissing him. As soon as they were out of anyone's earshot in the corridors and Link had affixed the sword to his back , Zelda wasted no time getting back to the plan.

"Wonderful. Now that you have a sword, we can exit through the door in the back."

Link nodded as they started heading back to the guard who'd stopped them on the second floor. It was then that a thought occurred to him.

"Um, Princess, how are we going outside in the dead of night when I can't see in the dark well enough to fight?"

Zelda smiled at that to his surprise. She looked like she had a plan.

"Well, part of it is lit up by braziers in the back and for another thing - I do generate a little light in my orb form if I focus, you know? We'll manage."

Link shrugged. "You're the princess."

She nodded, but there was kind look in her eyes. "True, but you're the swordsman. To get to the Tower we need to work together, just like we did when you helped me sneak out of the Castle. Now, let's go - that's the guard!"

Right down the corridor from where'd they come up by the staircase stood a guard with a spear, blocking the entrance way to the back of the castle. That was the guard they needed to get past. Exchanging a determined look and a nod with Zelda, they headed up to the guard. The guard upon seeing Link sighed in exasperation. No doubt in his eyes this was just another rookie trying to sneak out to play a hero without being properly equipped. Well, now he was properly equipped and it wasn't like he was going out there to play the hero. No, he had to find the tunnel and that was that. The sword was...a safety measure. Yes, that's how it was. The guard tiredly began his spiel again.

"Look, recruit, there all sorts of monsters outside this door, Godesses know we haven't seen such an infestation in ages, so I can't let you go beyond here without a sword or..." he paused upon seeing Link look at him pointedly while drawing the sword slightly out of the scabbard, the silver blade glinting in the light "Oh, I see you got yourself a weapon. All right then. Be careful out there!"

He stepped aside to let them pass. Link nodded his gratitude before slipping through there door with Zelda floating after him as a small orb of light. The guard watched the boy go before rubbing his eyes. Weird, he'd thought he'd seen a ball of light or something. Well, maybe he was just tired and seeing things.

Soon enough both teenagers were beyond the confines of the castle walls, in a secluded bit of land, lit up by a few scattered braziers. The cool night air caressed their cheeks and the stars in the inky sky, glinted mysteriously, watching them curiously, almost expectantly. Even with the seeming tranquillity the noises coming from around them had Link's heart hammering in his chest, his long ears twitching when he strained to pinpoint the sound. Zelda's concerned voice came from beside him, wary.

"Uh, Link, I think now's probably a good time to get your sword out. I don't like this."

"I agree, your Highness."

Link responded with his voice barely above a whisper as he pulled the sword from it's sheath. Another monstrous growl sounded from the right before the night air was pierced with a pitiful wail for help. It was a man's voice.

"HELP! SOMEONE ONE PLEASE HELP ME! HE-AARRRGHH!"

The cry for help was interrupted by a scream of pain. Link was moving before he'd even processed the next course of action with Zelda right behind him in her full form, ready to help in any way she could. Not that a ghost could be much help and that fact weighed on her conscience as she saw Link leap into battle. There were at least 8 monstrous Spinuts attacking a lone guard, trapped against a wall and bleeding quite badly. Sensing fresh prey upon who's flesh they could feast on, the Spinuts turned from the poor guard to Link, rushing towards him at an incredible speed. Zelda subconsciously held her breath as they came close only to see the young man send a few of them away, spinning violently with a strong hit from his sword while he dealt with the others. Unfortunately, they got back up and went for the teenager clothed in green again. Zelda gasped when she saw the silhouettes of three more approaching from the cluster of trees, heading for the guard who'd collapsed from his wounds and sheer exhaustion. Zelda bit her lip, trying to rein in her panic. This man needed help, but the other guards were inside the castle and Link had his hands full dealing with the ones attacking him so she had to do something. But what could a mere spirit do? She didn't have a solid form! She had to think! Think! She'd been granted the Triforce of Wisdom for some reason, hadn't she?! Suddenly, the words she had once read in a book with a strange author came back to her: "Animals and those with strong spiritual sensitivity and connections should be able to see what others cannot and sense the touch of the Sacred Realm. The same principle applies to monsters spawned from the Dark Realm." Zelda's eyes widened, sparking with an idea as she looked around. She nodded to herself when she saw a pit in the corner of the grounds left over from some sort of digging that had been done. That would work perfectly. Just as one of the Spinuts moved to take a bite out of the guard, Zelda cupped her hands over her mouth and called out.

"Hey, quit picking on the weak!"

The Spinuts paused momentarily, toddling around to see the source of the distraction. They could see her, Zelda thought with a tiny measure of relief, this idea could work. She could see their eyes light up with hunger upon seeing a piece of fully whole succulent flesh. Spinuts weren't known for being smart. Zelda allowed a tiny smirk to settle on her lips.

"You want me? Come and get me then!"

With that said she dashed off towards the pit while they rolled after her. She knew they couldn't touch her, well, at least she hoped they couldn't. They were of the Dark Realm after all and her spirit was a piece of the Sacred Realm...Now wasn't the time to be losing her nerve! She wasn't a coward - she never had been! The Spinuts all jumped at her, but the spirit easily flew up higher and with a shriek the trio fell into the pit which was too deep for them to climb out of. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief: that was a success! Maybe this form could be more useful than she'd originally thought, but still she would very much prefer to have her normal body back. Zelda drifted back over to the guard, keeping her eyes trained on Link as he struggled with the last pair. She watched as he slashed one in half and it exploded in a cloud of billowing purple smoke. Zelda frowned: purple smoke? That didn't sit well with her, but maybe that was just the nature of all who were summoned from the Dark Realm.

Zelda kneeled beside the guard, looking at him worriedly. She wanted to help, but without her body she was useless. She had been granted certain powers from her early childhood which included healing, she could have healed him had she her body. Nobody could ever explain why she had the powers she did and Zelda had been confused as to their origin until this day, until she saw the Triforce of Wisdom glowing on the back of her hand. Not that she could still believe it. Why her? How did she end up bearing one of the pieces of the legendary Triforce? Her rumination was interrupted when Link sank down beside her, breathing heavily as he stowed the sword away. She cast him a sideways look of concern, scanning him for any obvious injuries. He looked worn out, but she couldn't see any bad injuries - a few scratches at most.

"Link, are you okay?"

He nodded, still trying to catch his breath and slow his rapidly-beating heart as it continued to run on adrenaline. He took a deep breath, finally speaking.

"I'm fine, your highness. Are you unharmed? How is the guard?"

"I'm fine. This form can be useful. As for the guard, he's in a bad shape, but he's still alive. He needs help. Right now."

Link's face creased in concern, the light from flames in the brazier drawing dancing shadows on it.

"What if I went for help-"

"He doesn't have that long." Zelda interrupted tersely "If I had my body I could use my healing powers, but like this..."

Zelda trailed off as her hand phased through the guard's arm. There was a pool of crimson blood forming beneath him and his breathing was becoming more laboured by the second. The guard gave an agonised groan of pain, choking on his own blood. Absently, Link muttered.

"Now, I wish I'd bought that red potion at the shop. It would help."

"You couldn't have known. I wish...Wait a second. I know a way to help!"

The boy turned to her instantly, prompting her to go on. Zelda rushed to explain, tripping over her words slightly in her haste. Her eyes were alight with an idea, anxious, but hopeful.

"Link, the spirit pipes. There's a song that can heal. Quickly."

He cast her a slightly bewildered look, but did as she instructed, drawing the ancient instrument from the depths of his inventory. Zelda nodded once the delicate pan flute was in his hands.

"Good. If I hum the melody can you follow along? The first three notes are: green, silver, green on this flute."

Link looked from the instrument to the princess and then to dying guard. He seemed to struggle with himself for a second before nodding wordlessly. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief and quietly hummed a few notes, giving him the first few notes of the Song of Healing. A bit shakily at first, he followed along with her hum before he grew more comfortable and the melody flowed much smoother. The spirit pipes seemed to be vibrating with a mystical sort of energy and as soon as Link lowered the flute it gave a gentle silver glow and a small fairy spirit winked into existence. The silver fairy surveyed them before noticing the ailing man and zipping towards him, ignoring Link and Zelda's looks of absolute awe. It circled him and with a small flash the man's wounds were absolutely healed and the fairy spirit was gone. In a small voice Zelda whispered.

"It worked. My idea worked. He's going to be okay."

Link nodded in agreement, carefully stowing away the sacred instrument the mere song of which had just managed to save a life before rushing forward as the guard came to. The man opened his eyes weakly to be met with the face of a single teenager. He coughed.

"Kid? What's a small boy like you doing out here? There's monsters. You have to run! More are coming!"

Link resolutely shook his head, the tip of the floppy green hat swinging.

"No. They're gone. I managed to destroy them."

"What? But there were so many...And my wounds? How-"

"You should go inside and rest." Link interrupted softly, diverting all questioning away from him "I still need to see if the rumoured tunnel to the Tower of Spirits exists."

The guard shakily got to his feet and nodded. "It does or, well, did. Recent rockfalls closed it off. It should be up there."

Link gave him a grateful nod, looking in the direction that had been indicated. "Thank you."

The man walked towards the castle entrance before unexpectedly stopping and turning to the boy and the spirit girl (who he naturally couldn't see) again. "Look, recruit, I need to thank you. I know you saved my life so, well, take care..."

Link shook his head. "Sir, if you want to thank someone for your life thank the Princess once she returns. She is the one you owe your life to, not me."

The man looked at Link in confusion for a few moments before nodding and stepping into the safer hallways of the castle. There were a few moments of silence during which Zelda stood up, opting to hover closer to Link a few inches above the ground. Quietly, the princess spoke.

"Shall we get going then?"

"Yes. Let's. I'd rather not run into those Spinuts again."

She couldn't agree more. Together they trudged on through the garden, encountering only a pair of Spinuts along the way which Link easily took care of. As they moved along the wall with Link hitting it with a stone every few meters to check if it was solid and Zelda acting as a source of light in her spirit form, the princess spoke up.

"Hey, Link?"

"Hm?"

"About what you told that guard...Thank you, even if it wasn't entirely true."

Link paused his activity to look at the orb incredulously. He couldn't really believe she was saying this.

"Of course, it was true! You were the one who taught me the song which summoned the fairy! He'd have died if not for you."

"I couldn't have played the Song of Healing. You called the fairy, not I."

"I couldn't have done that without your help! Like I said, he owes his life to you, definitely not to me!"

There was a pause in the argument while each teenager surveyed the other, conflicting emotions raging inside them like a whirlwind. There was gratitude, confusion, annoyance and even a hint of anger there. The silence around them was only interrupted by the rustling of the leaves on the nearby trees as the wind caressed them. Reverting to her full form, Zelda gazed at him in a somehow sad way.

"Why can't you just accept the fact that it was your deed that saved him?"

He matched her gaze evenly and in the same quiet voice retorted.

"For the same reason you can't acknowledge that it was yours."

The silence settled once again before there was a clicking sound in the distance. Zelda frowned at that and reverted to her orb form quickly while Link raised his sword, readying for an assailant. The clicking got louder. Feeling Zelda close to him the boy inquired.

"What's making that noise?"

Zelda gulped, but barely managed to breathe out a single word. "Skultulla"

The hairs on the back of Link's neck tingled and he barely managed to jump out from under the tree when a monster dropped out from it. It was a spider-like creature with eight clicking legs and a skull-like body. It hung from the tree on it's thread clicking menacingly. If anything it looked hungry. Zelda tensed: spiders, it just had to be spider-like creatures, didn't it? Spinuts she could handle, but skulltulas? Thankfully, she didn't have time to finish that thought process as the boy beside her suddenly stepped forward and, dodging the beast's pincer attack, hit it once on the side to spin it around and slashed down it's soft belly, making it's dead body disappear in a cloud purple smoke. Link lowered his sword and turned to the princess.

"Will there be more?"

"Most likely. We're lucky this one wasn't poisonous. Some are."

"Then we'd best find the tunnel entrance soon."

Link concluded, stowing away his sword. Zelda was all for that. Link resolutely continued searching for the cave in, doing his best to remain aware of enemies, but not attract their attention. It seemed the later it got the more dark beasts emerged. In the span of ten minutes Link had had to dispatch at least 7 skulltulas that climbed down the wall, clicking menacingly and a couple of spinuts. This did not sit well with him.

As he picked up a rock of the ground again, Link hesitantly inquired. "Are they stronger at night?"

Zelda orb-from jerked from side to side noncommittally. "I'm not sure. In all the history of New Hyrule we've never had an infestation this bad. They probably are."

Link frowned as he adjusted his grip on the stone, aiming at the wall. "Do you think this is connected to what happened to the spirit tower?"

Her answer was hesitant but firm. "Yes. The Tower... That sound!"

While Zelda had been speaking Link had thrown the stone at the wall and a hollow sound emanated. Link gave a small sigh of relief.

"We found it, but it's blocked... Just like that injured guard had said."

Zelda's orb form shone a tiny bit brighter. Link guessed she was...happy? Reading people was hard as it was, but an orb was practically impossible.

Zelda spoke up. "Don't worry. I've seen a few bomb flowers. There's one beside that tree where the first skulltulas popped up."

Link headed back to where she had indicated and looked to the orb quizzically when all he saw was a dark green round plant the size of a pumpkin with orange parts growing outwards, like leaves.

"Is this it?"

"Yes." Zelda replied, bobbing up as an orb "Be careful picking it though-"

Zelda didn't get to finish as Link picked up the flower without a second thought and instantly a hissing sound started. Zelda jerked back, yelling "THROW IT!"

The boy cast her a confused look "What?"

Zelda decided to take matters into her own hands, swiftly shifting back to her full form. She grabbed Link by the hand and made him toss the bomb flower towards the entrance to the tunnel. It exploded the next second. Zelda sighed in relief while Link looked between the opening that had been created and the now regrown bomb flower. He looked to Zelda and slowly spoke, bewildered.

"That flower exploded."

"Yes. I was about to tell you so." Zelda responded tiredly.

"No, it exploded. Flowers don't explode!" The teen looked at her in confusion.

Zelda shrugged "Bomb flowers do."

Link rubbed his forehead tiredly "Of course, they do. Can we just go? Where there are no evil exploding flowers?"

Zelda wasn't about to argue, she easily changed shapes again. "Sure."

Together they stepped into the tunnel, vanishing from the castle grounds. Neither of them noticed the large shadow watching them from behind the tree. The shadow smiled to himself, drawing it's curved blade from it's sheath.

 **So, that's it for now. I know, I know - it's not much, but I didn't want to drag it out.**

 **1) So question number one: Did I mess up the characters? I probably did. Please tell me how to correct them if it's truly as bad as I think it is.**

 **2)I finally had time to proofread so there shouldn't be any mistakes, but if there are please let me know.**

 **3)Um, so yeah. That's about it. You might have noticed how I tweaked things a little and I hope no one minds that. In regards to the Triforce - it will play a role in this story, a rather interesting role if all goes according to plan. So, no, I'm not just using it as a minor plot device. Now, that's it.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter. Don't be afraid to be honest and give me constructive criticism on where I can improve- seriously, be blunt when telling me what to work on. Drop me a line if you feel like it. See you in the next one!**


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